Of Jealousy and Love
by NeenaD91
Summary: SEQUEL TO OF CHEATING AND ICE CREAM. So now that Jean and Logan have slept with one another and Scott and Rogue have kissed, what's going to happen next? The answers are all inside.
1. Breakfast at Xavier's

Of Jealousy and Love

So I finally did it! I made a sequel! I've got a ton of reviews requesting to make a sequel to "Of Cheating and Ice Cream" so I decided to do it. I hope you guys like it, and I hope you're as eager to review as you were with the first story. I really enjoy writing this and it makes me feel good to get your feedback so don't forget to click that pretty purple button at the end of the chapter!

Disclaimer- I do not own X-men or any of it's assets.

…………………………………

After Scott had kissed Rogue, everything that happened after seemed like a surreal blur.

One kiss had turned into another, and another and another and another and before either of them could comprehend what was going on, they were making out in the middle of the kitchen.

With her newly found ability to suppress her mutation, Scott's hands roamed her skimpy pajama clad body with passion and hunger but yet he still had that heir of sophistication. He wasn't the type to rip off all her clothes and do her on the kitchen floor right then and there but just the touch of her creamy, soft, porcelain skin, and the thought of him being the first to caress her pure and once untouchable skin drove him wild.

Rouge in turn was enjoying his ministrations and had no intention of stopping him. It felt good to have someone hold her, someone kiss her, someone touch her the way Scott was. And it wasn't romping around in the hay like Logan would prefer but it was classy, dignified and sophisticated. Something Rogue never realized she wanted up until this moment.

The two probably would have continued this little make out session a lot further if it wasn't for the small pitter patter of feet making itself down the hallway that led into the kitchen.

Both Scott and Rogue parted from each other faster than Super Man colleague _Flash_ would do if he were in a hurry. They sat at their respective spots at the island in the kitchen, across from each other like they were before so whoever walked into the kitchen wouldn't suspect a thing.

Thankfully it was only Ororo who walked in, to tired from her full night of nightmares to even inquire that something was going on between the two.

She was fully aware on the love square going on between the four, for the professor had debriefed her on the situation when Rogue didn't show up for her Birthday Cake. So after viewing the two sitting in the kitchen in silence she felt that now was not the time for any "small talk" and therefore grabbed a bottle of water, said her "goodnight's" and retreated back up the hallway.

Once she was gone Rogue turned to Scott and gave him a small grin and Scott returned the sly gesture.

"That was cuttin' it kinda close. Wouldn't ya say so?" Rogue said.

"I would defiantly say so." Scott chuckled. "Let's just thank the Lord that it was Ororo and not one of the kids"

"That woulda been awkward."

"It sure would"

Rogue smiled. Back when Scott was her teacher, she had never noticed this side of him. She guessed it was because she was so caught up in finishing the load of work he assigned, passing his tests and getting on his good side to be recruited as an X-man that she had never taken the time to really get to know him. But now that she's spent time with him, Scott was a pretty neat guy.

"Mistah S…………..Scott" Rogue began.

"Yes"

"I…………I…………I don't want to go back to ma room by myself."

"Excuse me?" he asked. He wasn't quite sure if he fully understood.

"I know this sounds silly but, I'm still a little hurt from this afternoon and sittin' here with you kinda makes me feel better and well if I go back to ma room I know I'm only gonna start cryin' again and I really think ma tear ducks are dry and I was wonderin' if may be you could kinda stay with me for the night, just until I feel better. But you know you totally don't have to, I would understand completely if you just wanted to…………"

"Rogue, Rogue, Rogue slow down" Scott said, interrupting her ranting.

Rogue blushed. "Oh sorry."

"I understand what you're saying and I would love to spend the rest of the night with you."

She smiled at this.

"But just not in your room"

Now she frowned. "I'm confused" she said aloud.

Scott chuckled. "Rogue are you forgetting? You have roommates. One who happens to be the gossip columnist at Xavier's and can spread rumors like wildfire."

She chuckled, momentarily forgetting about her two best friends. "Oh, ya right." She said. "Well then where could we go?"

"Don't worry, I've got the perfect place"

…………………………….

They wound up sleeping on the pull out bed on the couch in his office, which was were Scott normally slept when Jean threw him out for the night or when he wanted to get away from the students and take a little afternoon nap.

The couch was a little lumpy; well scratch that, very lumpy, but Mr. Summers of course was such a gentlemen and therefore pulled out extra sheets and blankets for Rogue's side to make it softer for her. She offered to share her extra comforters with him but he declined, assuring her that he was alright on the rough terrain of a mattress.

Exhausted from their night of stress and tears (and making out), both of them dozed right off into dreamland as soon as they hit the sheets but they made sure they stayed awake long enough to snuggle in each others arms.

……………………..

Breakfast the next morning was weird. Very weird.

So weird in fact the Professor Xavier marked it down as one of the most silent breakfasts that have ever occurred at the Xavier institute. And they've had their share of odd breakfasts like the morning after the whole "Safe sex" talk with the students or that time John thought it would be funny to put a popper in Storms cereal thus leaving cheerios all over the kitchen. But this breakfast, this breakfast topped the charts.

Everyone at the table was completely silent. The only sound that could be heard were the forks, spoons and knives, occasionally clanking against the plates and the pattern of everyone's chewing. Other than that it was completely silent.

Jean was quiet because she knew that Scott, Rogue and practically everyone else knew what happened between her and Logan the night before and she wasn't exactly sure what to say to her friends. Should she address them about her decision? Or should she pretend like nothing has happened? Since she didn't know the answer to these questions, she felt keeping quiet would be the best solution.

Logan was quite because A, he was always quiet when he was eating and B, like Jean he didn't know what to say or how to react about the situation last night.

As for Scott and Rogue, both of them were quite because, not only were they still mad at their passed lovers for their actions but, they in turn didn't want to point any fingers because they both felt what they did the night before was hypocritical. Both Rogue and Scott discussed it that morning before they came down for breakfast and they shared how they were confused about the fact that they were mad at Logan and Jean for sleeping with one another but didn't know if it was fair to be mad at them when they were making out with each other the very same night. Of course engaging in sexual intercourse and harmlessly kissing were two different levels of intimacy but it was intimacy nonetheless; and intimacy with one who is not their respective partner. So they in turn didn't know how to react to the situation.

As for everyone else at the table, well, Ororo, Kurt, Hank, Warren and the Professor were all fully aware of what had occurred last night. The professor had found out after his brief mental scan of the school, and had warned Ororo about it, to save her from brining up any embarrassing or sensitive subjects around the four in the love square. As for Kurt, Hank and Warren, well their knowledge about last night just so happened to be obtained by paper-thin walls. And as each of them knew what happened the night before, just like everyone else, they didn't know how to react.

What do you say to a Dr. who just cheated on her fiancé with the schools P.E teacher? And in turn what to you say to her fiancé who's probably grieving the loss of the love from her to no fault of his own? And what do you say to that P.E teacher who broke the heart of someone near to him?

They didn't know. They didn't know what to say, how to go about saying it or weather or not to say anything at all.

And as for Bobby, John, Kitty and Jubilee, well they were just completely in the dark as to what was going on and couldn't figure out why everyone was so quiet. They figured something must have happened the night before because breakfast at Xavier's was _never_ quiet so to avoid any embarrassing pop ups, they remained speechless as well.

And this is what made for a silent breakfast.

Glancing at everyone around the table and noticing how everyone was so enticed with their breakfast, rather than trying to make a morning conversation, Ororo decided to give it a try.

"Well…….." she began, setting down the bowl of scrambled eggs in the middle of the table so it was within reach of everyone else. "We have lovely whether today. Wouldn't you agree professor?" Ok so it wasn't the best examples of conversation starters; and Ororo knew that. Why would a whether witch be commenting about the whether outside? It was completely ironic but it was _something_ so she hoped it would work.

"Oh yes Ororo, very lovely indeed" Charles answered, also glancing at everyone else around the table.

"Uh……..ya…….perfect day for an afternoon in the air, wouldn't you say so Warren?" she tried again.

"Huh?" Angel asked, looking up from his cereal at the mention of his name. It took him a moment to register what Storm had told him before he replied. "Oh uhh, ya, ya perfect day for an afternoon affair……..I mean in the air, in the air" he corrected himself, turning beat red after his slip up.

This word of course cause tension at the table as Jean cringed at the word, and the others held their breaths to see what would happen next.

Scott could feel his chest tightening as he was tempted to say something but didn't know if he should.

"Nice save bird boy" John remarked, taking a piece of bacon from the center of the table and smirking to himself. After putting the cards together he was know fully aware of what was going on around here. John wasn't stupid; in fact he was pretty good at solving minor mysteries at the mansion hence Xavier making him the behavior specialist in training after graduation (another case of irony there). And after seeing the looks on everyone's faces and adding that to the unusual silence plus the sudden pause at the mention of the word affair, John knew exactly what was going on. Jean had cheated on Scott with Logan. It was clear as day.

Everyone around the mansion knew about their so called "harmless flirting" and apparently it wasn't harmless anymore as they stepped it up a notch and now they were in this mess.

Oh yes that was definitely the case here, and now the pyromaniac was more intrigued as the seconds went on to see what kind of reactions would take place.

As Rogue watched Logan, continuing to eat his food and appearing as though he was unaffected by Warren's accident, she couldn't help but get a little bit angry. How could he just sit there and pretend like nothing has happened? He's the one who slept with Jean, he's the one who ignored her on her birthday, and he's the one that's still in the dark of her control over her mutation even though he should have been the first to know. Did he not know he hurt her? Did he even know that she knew at all? Did he even care?

All these questions were stampeding through Rogue's mind and slowly and surly she was about to boil over.

Finally it was when he asked Bobby to pass the butter that she finally blew her lid.

Slamming her fists on the table and abruptly getting up out of her chair, Rogue glared daggers at Wolverine while shouting at him, "Are you out of your mind?!"

………………………………..

Review peeps!


	2. HeartBroken

Of Jealousy and Love ch 2

Hey there Readers. Thanks a lot for the reviews I love the feeback! I'm glad you guys like reading it becasue I enjoy writing it! Well here's you're next update that came rather quickly since it was originally a part of the first chapter but I didn't want the first chapter to be so long so I chopped it up in two. But anyways, enjoy!

By the way, in this chapter Scott mentions that he's from South Carolina and I know origionally he's from Alaska but I wanted to pick another state that I felt was more "Scott oriented". Hope it's not to much of a problem, enjoy!

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Logan was confused for a brief moment, wondering of she was referring to him and Jean or the butter that he was just handed. For the moment he decided to go with the butter.

" Calm down its just butter kid. If you want it that bad you can have it" he said, setting down the tub of lard and continuing on with his breakfast again as if nothing had happened.

This of course was causing Rogue to grow even angrier because now she was actually addressing him and he still wasn't paying her any attention. What did you have to do to grab the attention of this guy anyway? Straddle him by his waist and have sex with him on the kitchen floor?

"I'm not talking about the damn butter, Logan, I'm talking about you!" she yelled again.

"_Oh shit"_ Logan thought to himself. _"She knows"_

Logan has always known that Rogue had a thing for him. Jean had even told him about it after that whole enchilada with Magneto and Liberty Island, but he just didn't know how to react to the information about his newly acquired crush.

There were some days that he found Rogue to be quite enticing and quite attractive; she'd sometimes surprise him with her sexuality and literally blow his socks off. But other days, he saw her as being "just a kid", and looked at her as just a daughter figure, like he was supposed to love her in a family type way.

It was because of these two contradicting views of Rogue that he could justify his feelings about her. Did he love her like a girlfriend or like a daughter? He was very protective of her, and did like the sight of her in her leather X-men suit while training in the danger room, but at the same time he always kept in mind that she was a minor, his former student no less and he didn't think and relationship with her would be quite appropriate.

Not to mention she had that damn mutation of hers and he'd rather not get the life sucked out of him every time he tried to kiss her.

He didn't know; it was all to confusing. He couldn't figure out what he thought of Rogue and because of this he decided just to drop the situation completely and refrain from addressing it.

But of course like everything else that he's tried to ignore, it's only come to bite him in the ass.

"Me what?" he asked. "What the hell did I do?" "_Maybe if I play stupid, she'll leave it alone"_ he thought. But of course that was just wishful thinking.

"Don't play stupid with me Logan, you know what I'm talking about"

"_I guess not"_

"Uhhh…….maybe this is a bad time for breakfast, I think we should come back later" Storm said, getting up and setting her napkin down.

"I'm right behind you Ororo" Hank said, following her along with the rest of them, save Jean, Scott, Rogue, Logan and Pyro.

"No way" John protested. "I wanna' see this"

"John let's go" Storm hissed through clenched teeth and the flamethrower pouted but followed her nonetheless. He knew better than to argue with the whether goddess. Otherwise it was 10,000 bolts to the chest.

"Look kid I aint Chuck so I can't read minds. Maybe you'd like to tell me what I did this time so I can get to explaining" Logan began once the others were gone.

"Fine Logan." Rogue pouted. " First explain to me why you ignored the hell out of me yesterday"

"I was busy" he responded immediately. Alright so maybe that response was a little too quick but it was the truth right? Ok so it wasn't the whole truth but it was good enough wasn't it? He was busy, just not with things Rogue would necessarily approve of.

"You were busy?" she asked, growing even angrier as the seconds went on. "Logan, how busy were you to drop by my room or stop me in the halls or pull me aside for two Got' Dammed seconds to say Happy Birthday, or even acknowledge that I existed huh? Were you that busy Logan?! Were you that busy with what ever the hell it is you do that you couldn't even wish me a Happy Birthday?!"

Logan mentally slapped himself while grumbling a string of curse words. He had completely forgotten that it was Rogue's Birthday yesterday. He knew he should have looked at his calendar the day before but if it wasn't for Jean and her flirting with him all day, he probably would've remembered.

Oh he was defiantly in for it now. He promised her that he 18th birthday would be a special one since he hadn't been to many of her previous birthday's. He's always been away on one of his self-searching missions or even a X-men expedition that he's never gotten a chance to be there for her birthday. So last year he promised her that he'd be the first one to wish her a Happy Birthday and give her the greatest present she's ever received. And now he let her down; on her 18th birthday no less.

"Well………..well…………..well it's not my fault" he said, trying to recover himself. Maybe he'd find a way to smart talk his way out of this one like he normally did.

"What do you mean it's not your fault?!"

"You're the one that's been locked up in Chuck's office every dammed day! Nobody can tear you away from him!"

"I don't believe you!" she yelled back. "Maybe if you'd take the time of day to acknowledge somebody else you'd know what I've been doing."

"Well what then?" he snapped.

"I've been having training sessions with him Logan" she said. "The professor's been helping me control my mutation. We've been working on it for months and I finally got the hang of it. Yesterday, on my eighteenth birthday! And you were going to be the first person I told but guess what? Surprise! Surprise! To put the icing on the cake, I go to your room and hear you, screwing the life out of her!" she said, pointing an angry finger at Jean who could only cringe and try to fight the tears that were coming.

She knew where this whole argument was going and she knew she'd have to face the facts sooner or later but she was hoping later rather than sooner. She looked up and Scott and saw his stone cold face and unreadable expression. She couldn't tell weather he was looking at her or looking at Logan because of his glasses and she felt that now was not a good time to do a mental scan to find out.

Logan sighed. He had really messed up her birthday and now he felt awful for it. (of course not that he'd tell anybody) He knew that Marie had liked him but not to this extent, and after he sat there and analyzed it all he realized that he really hurt her. Another promise he broke to her because he promised her at the train station when she was about to run away that he would take care of her; and that included protecting her.

He hadn't realized the extent of his actions up until now and at this point he wished that he could take it all back.

Sure he liked Jean, possibly even loved her, but nothing was worth hurting Rogue like this. She didn't deserve it.

"Marie…………….I'm, I'm sorry" he said. That's all he could really say. There was really no excuse for what he's done.

She was crying now, fiddling her fingers as she looked up at him with a tear struck face. "Why Logan?" she asked him, sniffling and wiping her tearing with the back of her hand. "Why'd you do it?"

"Marie you have to understand……………………..I…………….I just………."

"You just what Logan!" she interrupted him. "What do I have to do to have you're attention?"

"You have my attention"

"That's not what I mean Logan! What will it take for you to notice me! I've tried everything I can and still you just……" she sniffled again. "You just go crawling back to her."

"Marie I don't want you to change. I want you to be the same person you are and have always been"

"Who I am is not enough."

"It is enough" he said firmly. "Just…………………..just not for me." He admitted and she only chocked out more tears. "Look Marie I'm sorry but I can't……………we can't…………….it's just not right. Not for me at least. You're great Marie and you'll make some man very happy just……….just not me"

This made Rogue probably the angriest she's ever been in her entire life. And she thought that was yesterday but boy had she been proven wrong. Talk about harsh. That really wasn't the answer she was expecting. Why was it that every time Logan addressed her about his feelings for her, he either left her confused or disappointed?

"So what the hell is this Logan?!" she yelled again, ripping off the dog chains from around her neck and tossing them at him. "What the hell does this mean?! Why would you give me this!?"

"Marie I…………….."

"Just forget it Logan." She sniffled. "I was stupid to think you could ever love me."

And with that she retreated out the back door of the kitchen that led to the garden, pausing when she saw the rest of the group from this morning standing there eavesdropping. Normally she'd be angry at this type of situation but she was to hurt to care so she ignored their lame excuses of "The light over the door needs fixing" or "I needed to tie my shoe" and just left to be by herself.

"Rogue wait!" Scott called after her, getting up out of his chair.

"Scott" Jean called after him, hoping the two of them could talk.

Cyclops stopped from chasing after her and looked down at Jean, torn between the two women and which one he should sit down and talk with. He could read Jean's apologetic face like a book and knew what ever she had to tell him would not be pretty so he chose to cheer Rogue up a little and therefore ran after her.

Jean only sighed, looking at Logan who did that same.

……………………………………

Scott found her in the depths of the garden, sitting on a bench and wailing her little heart out. He couldn't believe all of this this. Was Logan not done breaking this girl's heart into pieces? He wouldn't be surprised if Rogue just killed over of a heart attack right then and there.

Sure he could applaud Logan for actually telling her the truth for once, or just telling the truth for once in general. But as the professor always said, there's a time and a place for everything.

Rogue was so fragile right now. And he'd known that from speaking to her last night. She was already heartbroken and didn't need the added pain to her heartbreak.

He knew it was the right thing for Logan to do to tell her that she wasn't the one for him, after all he knew how much it hurt to be led on by someone and find out that they truly had feelings for someone else, but Logan could've picked a better time for it. Not today, not now, not at this very moment when Rogue was still feeling the way she was feeling.

He should have just apologized for what he did and tried to make up for her birthday, not make things worse. He should have told her that she wasn't right for him in a lighter environment in a lighter mood. Well at least that's what Scott would've done if he were in the predicament. But he guessed that's what the difference was between Logan and he. Logan was a right here right now kind of guy while Scott analyzed the situation and took the safer approach.

Scott approached her with caution, sitting down next to her on the bench and trying to offer her the hankie he kept in his pocket.

Rogue gracefully accepted it and wailed into the hankie before leaning into his chest and crying some more.

"I'm so stupid! So, so, stupid!" she cried harder and harder, instantly soaking Scott's shirt with her tears.

"You're not stupid Rogue" he assured her, sweeping a curtain of metallic hair out of her face.

"Yes I am! If I wasn't then I wouldn't keep falling into the same trap over and over again"

Now Scott was confused. What did she mean the same trap over and over again?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Every guy I ever get close to always winds up leaving me. My first boyfriend left after I put him in a coma, Bobby left me for my best friend and Logan left me before we could even attempt a relationship for your fiancé."

Scott cringed. Rogue definitely has a history of bad relationships. "I don't understand Scott. I mean, do I have to plaster a sign on ma head or somthin'? Why don't guys like me? I'm like a walking plague"

Scott chuckled a little. "You're not a walking plague" he said. "And you know what? All those guys just don't know what they're missing. Because you're an amazing, sweet and loving girl and it's just going to take the right kind of guy to come along and notice that"

"_Kinda like you"_ Rouge thought to herself.

"_Kind of like me"_ Scott thought as well, unaware that Rogue had the same thing in mind.

"Well easy for you to say" she said wiping some of her tears dry. "I've never had a relationship lasting longer than six months; you were engaged practically your whole life"

"Were being the key term here." he said and she chuckled a little bit. "And hey I wasn't always with Jean you know"

"You weren't?"

"No" he answered. "I used to live in South Carolina before I came to Xavier's and back home I had a girlfriend named Samantha Smith"

"Samantha Smith?"

"mmmhmmm"

"You guys both have the same initials"

"I know, that's why we thought we were the perfect couple. Samantha was a bit superstitious and to her, having the same initials was a sign of a long lasting relationship."

"So what happened?"

"Well Sam wasn't really a big fan of the mutant population only because she had some issues with it in her family. It's not like she hated mutants or anything but her family did so she tried not to get roped in with them. I found out I was a mutant when I was 11 but I always tried to hide it from her because I didn't want us to end our relationship over something that was out of her control."

"She found out didn't she?"

Scott heaved a sigh. "Yeah she did."

"What happened?"

"When I was 15 my family and I when for a trip in the jet and……………"

"You had a jet?" Rogue interrupted unaware that he owned such things.

"No, no, my dad was a pilot and sometimes he'd take us to the airport for an afternoon fly."

"Oh"

"Anyways, we were taking one of our afternoon flights and something went wrong with the plane. My dad said it was going to crash so we had to take the parachutes and jump." Scott could feel the tears stinging his eyes and he remembered the story and he tried not to let them fall. Taking in a deep breath he continued.

"There were only three parachutes, enough for me, my older brother Adam, and my younger brother Alex. We begged and pleaded for our parents to come with us and refused to get out the plane unless they joined but they protested and strapped us on to the parachutes and forced us out the plane."

"It was probably the hardest day of my life, partly because I lost my parents and that was the same day I lost control of my mutation. When I landed I hit my head on a rock and it damaged a nerve in my head that allowed me to have control over the optic blasts."

Rogue gasped, letting more tears fall from her eyes. She had no idea Scott had been through so much.

"I walked around pretty much blind for a couple of days and when Samantha found out what happened, I had to tell her I was a mutant, there was no other way. And from that day forward I never saw her again"

Rogue gasped again. And she thought she was heartbroken from putting her first boyfriend in a coma, Scott really had it bad. He lost his parents and his girlfriend all at the same time.

"And then it sort of goes on from there. The professor came to my house and recruited me to the school and although I was kind of upset about it at first because I was torn away from my brothers, when I got here it turned out not to be so bad. Hank made me a pair of glasses and a pair of visors so I could see without hurting anyone and this is where I first met Jean"

"It was love at first sight wasn't it?"

Scott chuckled. "Not really. She didn't like me at first because I got better marks than she did in math and she used to pick on me a lot. At one point I used to think she totally hated me which surprised me because I was nothing but nice to her. But it wasn't until Storm told me she had the biggest crush on me that I finally understood her and we became best friends, eventually a couple."

Rogue now smiled a bit. "I'm sorry Scott" she apologized, now fiddling with the hankie.

"What are you sorry for? None of this is your fault"

"Ya but it's not yours either. I mean I never knew that you had it so bad. And here I am blubbering like a baby when I don't know half of what it means to be heartbroken"

"Hey, we've all had it bad Rogue. And we've all been heartbroken one time or another. You have every reason to feel the way you do"

"And what about you?"

Scott sighed. " Me? Well I guess I've got to take my own advice on this one Rogue. It's like I said last night, as hard as it is to come to grip with, I guess Logan just has something I don't, something that Jean is looking for. And in time the right person is going to come along for me, someone who realizes all the good qualities I have"

"_Someone like you"_ he thought.

"_Someone like me" _she thought as well.

"So……………"he began, seeing that she finally stopped her crying. "Feel any better?"

"No"

"Not even a little bit?"

"Not uh"

"Not even a smidge?"

Rogue cracked a small smile. "Well maybe a smidge"

"Well that's good. At least my pep talk didn't totally go downhill, I was starting to think you weren't listening"

"No never that"

"So what do you think we should do now? Should we go in and face the music?"

"No, I think we've done enough of that today"

"Well you did, I still have a lot of things I have to discuss with Jean"

"You sound excited" she said, sarcasm dripping off her words.

"Can't you just hear the enthusiasm in my voice?" Rogue giggled now. "Wow was that a giggle I heard?" he teased as she tried to hide her smile. "I didn't think it was possible. Thank you God, my prayers have been answered" he said, pretending to thank the heavens.

"Why are you so silly?"

"It's a God given gift. It drove my parents wild"

She giggled again. "You know, you don't have to face the music just yet if you don't want to"

"Oh? And what did you have in mind?"

"You have the keys to your sports car?"

Cyclops pulled them out his pocket, dangling them in the air. "Always"

"Great, c'mon let's go"

………………………………………..

Review!


	3. Guilt

Of Jealousy and Love ch 3

Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! Thanks a bunch for the reviews, they're greatly appreciated. And thank you to Anon for telling me about that spelling mistake in the title. I didn't even notice that, I keep browsing right over it. But anyways I'm glad you all like the story so much because I enjoy righting it, so, here's another chapter for your enjoyment.

………………………….

"Oh my God Logan what are we going to do?"

Jean paced back and forth in her room, while biting her nails, fretting about what she was going to do about the whole Scott/Rogue situation.

Well actually a lot of the situation had already been played out. She and Logan slept together, Scott and Rogue got upset, Rogue confronted Logan about it this morning and he explained to her how a relationship with him would not be for the best. All that was really left to do was for her to explain to Scott why she wasn't the best for him and see how it went from there.

She didn't want to be on bad terms with Scott; she really didn't. The guy was one of her best friends. And now that she's observed the emotional mess Rogue and Logan were caught up in, (who weren't even in a relationship) she knew breaking it off with Scott would not be easy.

The thing was, Scott was a real sensitive guy and her cheating on him with his arch nemesis no less most likely hurt him deeply. She couldn't believe she'd acted so childish.

She knew she was having feelings for Logan for a long time now. It seemed inevitable to try and deny it. She didn't know what it was exactly that Logan seemed to have the Scott didn't. It could've been the fact that he was so wild, rugged and exotic, and didn't really give a damn what people thought of him; a bold personality that gave her a break from her uniform and routine life. Or maybe it was his unusual charm or sarcastic sense of humor that turned her on. But whatever it was, Jean liked it. It was different and spontaneous which was something she wasn't used to with Scott and something she found herself liking day by day as she spent time with Logan. And that's how she knew Logan would be the right guy for her.

The responsible thing to do would have been to sit Scott down and explain the situation to him one on one and ease him down gently. But no, she had to go and screw the leather and jean clad man and complicate things even further by creating a wall of tension between the two couples.

Now there was defiantly no chance of her speaking to Scott _calmly_. It was probably going to be all yelling and screaming, the sounds of glass breaking and sniffles and tears.

Meanwhile while Jean was pacing around her room, Logan was laying on her bed mentally beating himself up over what he did to Marie.

He still couldn't believe that he'd hurt her so badly. He didn't think he'd ever seen her cry like that. He had always taught her never to cry and never to wallow, especially over a boy. But now that he was the source of her sorrows, all the tables were turned.

Her greatest hero let her down and that was probably something Logan could never forgive himself for doing.

He loved Marie. He wasn't sure in what way he loved her but he still loved her. He never wanted to see her hurt; physically or emotionally but she was, and he was the reason.

First he forgot her birthday, which he promised to make the most special birthday of her life, and then he went and slept with another woman, which crushed her little heart. And he hadn't thought twice about it.

Logan didn't know what to do. He wanted to be with Jean, he really, really wanted to. Jean was the woman he's been searching for all his life and now that he has her, he didn't plan to let her go. But, was it really worth the expense of hurting the other woman he loved?

Rogue was so nice and so sweet, so gentle and so caring. She was the only one around the mansion that really understood him 100 percent. She always took time out of her day to sit and chat with him or reassure him that things were going to be alright during his whole "who am I" phase.

She often made him breakfast in the mornings when she got up early enough and she cooked it just the way he liked it. Medium rare stake with Eggs over easy, sunny side up and four slices of toast, complete with an ice-cold beer. Ororo, who had normally cooked breakfast, refused to make him such a meal because it was overloaded with calories, carbs and fat and Steak was simply just not a breakfast food. But not Marie; Marie was happy to please his stomach, any way he liked it, forever grateful of that day he picked her up in his old RV.

Marie was also the only one around the mansion who could fully tolerate his good moods and bad moods and knew when he needed comfort and when to lay off. Although Jean was loving and cared for his emotional well being, she often tried to hard to help him and wound up annoying him further which did not make for a happy Wolverine. Then when he was angry and he'd start mouthing off to everyone left and right, she'd get frustrated and storm off in a huff, holding a grudge on him for several days for snapping at her.

But Marie was different. She knew how to handle his moods and tolerate his comments, for she knew he didn't really mean them and he was only cranky and the moment and just needed time to figure himself out.

She was the only one who could tolerate his drinking and his smoking and didn't harass him about it being detrimental to his health or it being a negative influence on the children.

She was the one who gave him an official birthday, because he couldn't remember his and she didn't want him to feel left out on the birthday cheer. She even made it on Valentines Day, the most loved day out of the year, so it would be extra special.

Around Christmas time, she was the first one to set a gift for him under the tree and her gifts always had meaning to them. It was never a collared shirt like Scott gave him in hopes of him dressing better, or a new leather jacket, like Storm gave him in hopes of him throwing out his old one. It was meaningful and thoughtful, and something she knew he'd enjoy. Last year it was a box of Cuban Cigars, which she somehow managed to hustle Hank into purchasing for her since she was underage. Logan adored those cigars and hadn't touched a one of them yet, promising her he'd save them for special occasions.

As he reviewed all this, and thought about how much Marie has done for him Logan couldn't help but think what an idiot he was for hurting her like this. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve the pain and the tears, the sorrow and the angst, the hurt and the agony. And most importantly, she didn't deserve it from him; the man she loved.

Logan sighed as he rolled over on his stomach, finally looking at Jean who had stopped pacing. She was looking down on him with a semi-angry look on her face and was tapping her right foot.

"_Oh great, what did I do now?"_ he thought to himself, reading her expression like a book.

"Logan, were you listening to a word I said?" Jean asked him, still tapping her foot, impatient for an answer.

To be honest he really wasn't listening to her. Although he had _heard _her ranting, he wasn't really paying attention to what exactly she was saying because he was too lost in his own world.

"Uhh….no, sorry Jeanie" he apologized and the red head sighed, sitting on the bed next to him.

"You feel bad about Rogue don't you?" she asked.

"_No shit Sherlock"_ he thought to himself.

"Hey, don't snap at me" she scolded him aloud after hearing his thoughts.

"Sorry" he apologized again, letting go of another sigh. "I didn't mean to snap but I'm just angry"

Jean sighed as well. "You're not alone" she added. "I feel terrible about what I did to Scott"

"And I to Rogue." Logan added. "I mean the kid just didn't deserve it"

"I should have talked to Scott first, I mean he's a sensitive guy, I don't know if he can handle all this emotional stress"

Heaving a sigh in unison once more, the two looked at the floor in sorrow before turning to each other.

"Logan" Jean began. "You don't regret what happened between you and me do you?" she asked him.

Did he regret it? Sure he'd had a glorious time with Jean the night before but did he regret it now that it had hurt Rogue?

"N-No" he answered a little shaky at first.

"You don't sound to sure of yourself" Jean pointed out.

"No" he repeated more sternly. "I mean don't get me wrong Jeannie, the only thing I regret is going through this whole thing with out giving the kid some sort of heads up first. I regret her finding out in the way she did and not explaining things to her first. But I don't regret my time with you; I could never do that. If I could take it all back and start over again, I'd resolve my issues with Marie first but I'd still be with you." he explained, tapping her chin and Jean smiled.

"Thanks Logan"

"And what about you?" he asked. "You regret it?"

"The only thing I regret is not breaking it off with Scott first." She said. "I really wish I would have talked to him before any of this ever happened you know?"

"But you don't regret what happened between me and you?"

"Never"

"Good"

……………………………………..

"Rogue seriously, where are we going?" Scott asked for the millionth time, rounding the corner where she had directed him to go.

They'd been in the car for the past hour now, Rogue telling him where to go and which turns to make but refusing to tell him exactly where their destination was. It was hilarious to her to leave him in the dark but Scott was becoming rather frustrated because he didn't like driving without having a clue as to where he was going.

"Just keep going down this road, you'll see soon enough" she giggled.

"You've been saying that for the past hour" he noted.

"And it's the truth, just trust me"

"Trust you?"

"Ya, just trust me"

"Alright" he sighed. "I trust you"

"Good now make a left"

…………………

Another half hour in the car and the two finally reached their destination; Scott unable to believe were Rogue had taken him. He should have known, the girl was 18 years old for Christ sakes, what else would she be interested in?

"Rogue, you've got to be kidding me" he said once turning off the engine to the car and getting out.

"Nope, I'm completely serious"

He looked at the building in front of him, then to Rogue only to find her grinning rather widely at him.

"Rogue…….."he whined.

"Not uh, you're not getting yourself out of this one bub, you're coming"

He sighed shutting the door of his car and turning on the alarm.

"But why here? I mean couldn't we have picked a library or something?"

"A library? You see Scott that's your problem, you're too conservative, you've got to learn to live it up a little, take a few risks."

"Oh yes and nothing says risks better than a water park"

"Well my original plan was bungee jumping but I figure we might want to save that for your second attempt a letting loose"

"Ha, ha, you're a comic genius" Scott said.

"C'mon Scott" Rogue encouraged. "It'll be ten times better than what you're thinking right now. You need to get in touch with your inner child"

"My inner child?" he asked and she nodded. "Rogue I haven't been a child since……………..well we might not want visit that issue right now but the point is, my inner child is gone. I teach advanced math at a boarding school now and I'm the leader of the X-men, I have too many responsibilities to be childish again"

"Which is exactly why we're rekindling your youth." She said. "C'mon Scott, it's summer vacation, it's a beautiful day out, your young, and up until recently you've been hooked to a ball and chain by your fiancé; it's time to let loose."

Scott mumbled a few incoherent things to himself thinking about how right Rogue really was. He did need to loosen up a bit but he wasn't sure a water park was the best idea. These were the types of things he chaperoned, not experienced. His idea of "letting loose" was going a full day with a wearing a T-shirt and some jeans rather than his usual polo and khakis.

"Well we don't even have any bathing suits. You don't plan to walk around in jeans and a tank do you?" he asked her, referring to her attire.

"That's why they have gift shops, with tons and tons of bathing suits to chose from."

"Those are rip off prices Rogue and I only have twenty bucks in my back pocket"

"Never fear my friend" she said, pulling a square piece of plastic from out of her back pocket. "We'll just put it on the card"

Scott gasped when he got a look at the golden piece of plastic she was holding and snatched it from out her hands.

"Hey!" she whined.

"Rogue, where the hell did you get this from? This is the professors' card"

"I know"

He gave her a suspicious look. "You didn't pick pocket did you?" he asked and now it was her turn to gasp.

"No! What kind of person do you think I am!" she said. "And how do you pick pocket from a guy in a wheelchair anyway?"

Scott shrugged. "You can never be to sure" he said and she playfully whacked him. "But seriously Rogue, where'd you get it from?"

"He gave it to me" she said point blank, as if being handed a golden American Express card was no big deal.

"He _gave _it to you?" he asked and she nodded again.

"Well don't act surprised." She told him. "As far as I know, all the X-men have one" she said.

"Ya but it's for _emergencies only_. Which does not happen to include water park funds. Besides, since when did you become an X-man?"

"Ouch. First the pick pocketing now the snappy comments about being an X-man. You're just a regular Mr. Rogers aren't you?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Seriously Rogue"

"If you must know" she said oh-so-dramatically "He gave it to me yesterday as a birthday gift. Told me to go wild with it, and do as I please, and that's exactly what I plan to do, so c'mon" she said taking the card back from him and grabbing his arm to drag him in the direction of the park.

"Rogue…….." Scott whined once more, firmly planting his feet in the ground to prevent from any further dragging.

"C'mon Scott, let's go. It's going to be fun I promise. We're already here, the sun is practically screaming at us to bask in it's glory and all the expensives are already covered so let's go"

Scott sighed. "Rouge……." He said once more.

"Scott" she said back, throwing in her puppy dog eyes for good measure. This was sure to reel him in.

Scott sighed once more not able to resist. Those damn chocolate brown eyes sparking with innocence and pity, accompanied by the cutest little face shining perfectly in the sunlight to add to the guilt she was trying make him feel.

Unfortunately for him, it worked.

"Fine, let me just get my visors."

And with that, Rogue leapt with joy.

……………………………

Review peeps!


	4. The day off

Of Jealousy and Love ch 4

Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter and sorry if it sounds a bit choppy and there are a few mistakes. My computer went haywire on me and messed up my whole chapter so I had to go back and edit it like 200 times. Hopefully everything is as normal as it should be but if it isn't I apologize.

Anyway this is a very yummy edition to the story; one I'm sure all my fellow ladies will enjoy because Lord knows I enjoyed writing it. So grab your bib and start reading! Don't forget to review at the end!

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"Any idea where they are?"

Now it was Logan's turn to pace, moving back and forth in Jean's room as he wondered just where Rogue and Scott ran off.

It was 4 in the afternoon and the two had been gone for over six hours and he was starting to get a little worried. Just where were they? What were they doing?

Well actually, Logan could care less where Scott had run off to but it was the fact that he dragged Rogue with him that worried poor Wolverine. Just what kind of morals was Scooter corrupting her with? Logan had worked to damn hard to get that girl emotionally strong and stable and he had trained her well to be able to take care of herself. But now that she was off with that tight-ass Boy Scout, especially in an emotional state where she'd fall for anything, it was only left to his imagination as to what he could trick her into believing.

"I don't know Logan" Jean answered, not able to pinpoint them telepathically. "I mean wherever they are I'm sure they want to be alone and don't want us to bother them"

"What do you mean want to be alone? Shouldn't they be back already? They've been gone for far to long."

"Logan..."

"And what are they doing spending time together anyway? They're not a couple. At least they better not be. How fast can someone get over grieving anyway? I tell you when Scooter gets back here I'm going to rip him a new..."

"Logan" Jean finally stopped his ranting.

"hmm?" he asked, looking up at her as though she just appeared in the room.

"Logan, we're in no position to complain about where Rogue and Scott are and what they're doing" she informed.

"What do you mean we're in no position to complain?"

"Obviously you forgot what happened last night" she said and Logan let go of a huff of air, forgetting completely about that.

"Ya well...it's hypocritical." He defended. "How can they get mad at us for being together and then go off and do the same thing?" he asked.

"The two of us complaining about them being together is just as hypocritical as the two of us being together" Logan grumbled to himself about her being right but it still didn't change the fact that he was worried. "Plus for all we know they could be off somewhere, drinking until they can't stand anymore"

Logan huffed. "Scooter wouldn't be game for that, and Marie is to young to drink"

"It was just an example" she sighed. "My point is, we don't know what they're up to and we shouldn't assume anything"

"Well then why don't you find out?" he asked her.

"And just how in the world am I supposed to do that?"

"You're a telepath aren't you?" he asked. "Read their minds"

"I can't"

"Why not?"

"Because it's an invasion of privacy. I have ethics you know"

Logan groaned, flopping down on the bed in frustration and glaring hard at the ceiling as if the sponge-textured structure caused all of this.

"Look Logan I'm sure wherever they are, they'll be back soon. Scott doesn't like staying out past nine and he defiantly hates staying out all day so they'll probably be back in the next hour." She reassured him.

"You better be right Jeannie" Logan said, just over a grumble. "You better be right."

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Meanwhile back at the water park...

Scott would hate to admit it, but he was actually having a good time; a very good time in fact. It's been a long while since he's last felt the exhilarating feel of just letting loose and being young and now that he's feeling it, he'd have to say he was really enjoying himself.

They had started out at the gift shop, Rogue urging him to try on different swim trunks but he only complained about how that was unsanitary and settled on a random pair of trunks, figuring the faster he did this, the faster it would be over. She however, insisted on trying on multiple bathing suits and bikinis and putting on a fashion show for him while "Strutting the runway" in the dressing room area.

Laughing the whole way as Rogue imitated some of the models that she's seen in magazines and on TV, Scott finally gave in and chose a few more swim trunks to join her on the runway and strike some of his own dashing poses.

After about an hour of America's Next Top Mutant Model, the two finally settled on a bathing suit, Scott going for a plain old, black swim trunks and white wife beater while Rogue decided to get a black bikini with a studded design of a Hawaiian type flower on the chest. She normally went for a one piece along with a long sleeved shirt and a pair of jogging pants to top it all off but with her newly found ability to suppress her mutation, Rogue decided to flaunt what she's got.

It was cute how the two of them matched; both of them sporting black swimwear and walking together side by side. Rouge had even purchased a pair of red tinted shades to match Scott's visors.

She encouraged Scott to loose the wife beater to show off his sculpted chest and although he was a little resilient at first, he finally agreed explaining to her that it was only so they could "match better". (But she knew why he really shed the shirt. No one could have a chest that good looking and not want to show it off; not even modest old Scott) It was unbelievably adorable how well they coordinated together and people actually stopped to complement the two on what a cute couple they were.

After the gift shop it was time to hit the rides and being the thrill seeker that she was, Rogue hunted for the biggest ride to start with to really give Scott a rush. She thanked the lord that Scott was the leader of the X-men and therefore had a lot of experiences in rushes, thrills and exhilaration. If not it would have been a lot harder to convince him to get on a ride.

Although it was tough, sweet talking him and luring him in with the puppy dog face to join her on a ride, it was a lot easier than she thought it would be. It was way easier than asking Bobby who hated wild dips and turns and often complained about the water being to cold since his body temperature naturally dipped a few ten degrees because of his mutation. And convincing Scott was defiantly a thousand times easier than asking Logan who absolutely _refused_ to dunk his body in anything that contained chlorine. So yes, although it took a bit of work, Scott was defiantly easier to persuade that the others.

They went on the biggest ride in the park first, known as the Funnel of Fire which was a little odd name coming from a water park ride but the amusement of it all made you not give a damn if it was called, Slowpoke Stream.

They were first seated in an inflatable raft, then pushed off along a raging water way which made dangerously sharp turns and spins, sending the raft spinning left and right. They were then led into a dark tunnel, which basically followed the same pattern as the first part of the ride, but was pitch black and went through a series of gut wrenching dips. And then the finally they were deposited from the tunnel into a humongous funnel which swayed them back and forth, almost in a complete circle until they wound up at the end, falling into a huge pool.

Rouge didn't think she's ever screamed so hard in her life. Although she wasn't truly scared, (as being projected out of the black bird was more than enough to get her frightened) she loved to give those other scardy-cats in line a run for their money and manipulate them into believing that the ride was truly frightening.

And although Scott would have to admit he too had been through more gut-lurching things in the black bird, he like Rogue, loved to trick those in line who watched and make them believe that the ride was really something to be afraid of, so he yelled as well.

And not only that but, simply because the ride was amusing. He couldn't remember the last time he's got to have fun like this and yell his little head off because of some thrill ride. His idea of fun these days was a day away from everyone, sitting down, watching the news and reading the paper, in peace and quiet. He was glad he got to experience this because it was an occasional break out of his normal routine.

They spent virtually the whole day at the park, riding all the rides (more than once), pigging out on pizza and fries, and just enjoying the beauty of the day and time away from the stress at the mansion.

Unfortunately for them though, it was now five thirty in the evening, the day was winding down and the two were starting to get hungry for dinner.

After soaking until pruney in the lazy river, they decided to leave the park and find some place to eat before dreadfully trudging back to the mansion.

They walked through the parking lot, still dripping wet from their day of fun while looking for Scott's car.

Rogue was ringing out her hair, clad in her wet bathing suit with her towel wrapped around her waist with a bag of the clothes she came in, in her hand.

"So..."she began, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Had fun?"

Scott smiled, also walking around with a towel around his waist and a bag full of his previously worn clothes slung around his shoulder.

"More than you can imagine" he replied and she beamed. She was happy to hear that he had so much fun.

"Glad to hear" she said as they finally reached the car. This unfortunately reminded her of what they had to go back to and at the thought of this, Rogue let go of a sigh. "Too bad it has to end" she added.

Scott smiled a mischievous grin, popping open the trunk of his car and throwing his bag of clean, dry clothes in.

"It doesn't have to" he replied.

Rogue grinned as well, tossing her bag in after his and grabbing one of the fresh dry towels he kept in a compartment in the trunk. (The guy really does have everything in his car)

"What do you have up your sleeve?" she asked him.

"Still up for one more adventure?"

"I'm game"

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"Damn it where are they Jean?" Logan asked, now more frustrated than ever. It was ten in the evening and the two still weren't home yet. By now he was beyond worried because for all he knew Rogue could be laying, dead somewhere, rotting while Scooter drove off on his Harley to escape the pain of his ex-fiancé. Ok that was highly improbable, seeing as how Scott took his sports car, but it could still happen.

Logan was growing angry now, not liking the idea of Rogue running off and he didn't have a clue as to where she was going or when she'd be back. A part of him told him not to be concerned because at the moment she loathed him and wanted nothing to do with him. When and if she returned, she probably wouldn't speak to him anyway. But then there was a bigger part of him that was concerned because no matter what, he loved Rogue and he didn't like her out of his sight or being in the dark about her well being. Even when he was gone for prolonged periods of time he's keep a mental link open with the professor just to ask about Rogue and how she was doing.

And now that she was gone, for thirteen hours and counting, he didn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, while Logan was sitting here fretting, Jean was getting a bit annoyed that Logan was paying more attention on something he'd probably never find out until they got back instead of the problem at hand, which was what they were going to do about their relationship. Not that she wasn't concerned for Scott and Rogue as well, she was, but, she knew that they were fine and they'd be back and in the mean time, she and Logan needed to figure out what they were going to do about this whole enchilada.

"Loagn……"

"How do we even know she's not lying somewhere in a ditch; dead?" he asked and Jean sighed.

"Because wherever she is, she's with Scott and Scott is too responsible to let that happen. Look Logan I assure you they're fine so can we please focus here. We still haven't figured out what we're going to do."

Logan heaved a heavy sigh. "Alright fine"

…………………………

She didn't believe it. She didn't believe he truly had it in him. Rogue couldn't believe were Scott had taken her and it was all too surreal.

After they had stopped at a burger joint to get something to eat, and then dropped by a small corner outlet to cloth themselves, Scott had driven them to a local county fair, which she absolutely adored.

Rouge had to admit she truly enjoyed herself as she and Scott again, experienced all the rides, from biggest to smallest, pigged out on popcorn and funnel cakes and enjoyed now the beauty of the night together away from what awaited them at home in the mansion.

And as Rogue spent more and more time with him, she was beginning to think less about Logan and more about Scott. And after spending a whole day together, she could conclude that he was truly a very deep man. Something she never really picked up from his classroom conversations but now that she's had some one on one time with him, she was beginning to see that more and more.

She already knew from last night that Scott was a real man but as she got to know him better she was beginning to realize how much more versatile and opinionated he was.

She could no longer understand why people nicked named him things like, prep, Scooter, tight-ass and stick in the mud. Because everything he did had reasoning behind it and every reason was one that only made him a more well rounded person. Scott's never deserved anything that's happened to him. She couldn't figure out why Jean had done what she'd done to him because he's done nothing but give her and everyone else one hundred percent, his entire life. And she loved that. She loved his strength and his determination, his leader like qualities and thoughts and opinions on his way of life.

Could it be that Rogue was beginning to crush on him? Could it be that the man who once taught her trigonometry and calculus, who she once dubbed the hardest teacher she's ever encountered was stealing her heart?

Only time will tell.

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While on the Ferris wheel, sipping mindlessly on fattening milkshakes, Scott and Rogue enjoyed the view of the background while kicking their feet, dangling off the Ferris wheel seat.

"You know Jean hates these things" Scott said at random, playing with the straw in his chocolate shake.

"Really?" Rogue asked, taking a sip of her shake and looking up at him.

"Ya, once when we were younger we came here on a date and we got stuck at the top. Back then she was terrified of heights and she only came on because I convinced her it wouldn't be so bad. Well unfortunately for her I was wrong and she started freaking out until it turned into this huge thing with firemen and the police and all"

Rogue giggled. "I've gotten stuck on these things before but I don't ever think I was scared." She said.

"Well hey, I wasn't scared, she was. I didn't mind. It gave me a chance to toss popcorn on top of the hotdog stands."

Rogue laughed now. "You were a trouble maker when you were young weren't you?"

"Not really, just a curious kid. I liked to see what would happen if I did certain things and it often got me into trouble."

Rogue laughed now. "I really don't believe you give Pyro such a hard time"

"Well hey, there's a difference between curiosity and pranking. Pyro is the more evil of the two."

Rogue laughed again before sipping into her drink again and then falling silent.

"So………." She began. "Was Jean being scared of the Farris wheel why you gave up on fairs?" she asked, getting a little more into the serious conversation.

"I never gave up on fairs" he said.

"Well every time we'd go on a field trip to one, you'd always protest about going. You made it seem as thought you didn't want to go"

"Well that's only because Jean was so terrified of them. Sure she'd make a sacrifice of going so you guys could have some fun but basically everything about it was scary to her. She hated the Ferris wheel, she was terrified of clowns and she told me once she got lost in the house of mirrors for four hours when she was younger and hadn't been able to walk in one since."

"Wow" Rogue said, never knowing that the Dr. had so many horrible experiences at fairs. "But you like it don't you?" she asked. "I mean the carnivals and such"

"Oh yeah I love it. It reminds me of when I was younger and my dad used to take my brothers and me to the carnival every summer. But when I found out Jean wasn't so fond of it, I could never see myself enjoying it when she hated it so much."

Rogue nodded letting go of a small "oh" while she took another sip of her shake. There he goes again, being all noble and caring. Damn him and his sacrifices, it just made him all the more appealing.

"Well I enjoy it so now you don't have to feel guilty" she said, giving him a playful punch and Scott smiled.

"Thanks"

Rogue smiled for a response before suddenly looking down at her shake and playing with her straw. It was time for a change of subject but she wasn't sure exactly how she'd get this one out.

"Umm, Scott can I tell you something?" she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"Go ahead, shoot" he said openly, taking another sip of his shake, then shaking it rather disappointingly when he found it was empty.

"Umm, well…………I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for all of this, I mean for being there for me when I was upset and taking me out here and having fun with me and, you know, just forgetting about everything that's been going on. This is really one of the best dates I've ever been on."

But as soon as those words left her mouth, Rogue mentally cringed. Did she just say date? Oh boy, she's defiantly embarrassed herself now. Now what the hell did she have to go and do that for? She got so caught up in the moment and just had to slip at the end and mention the bid 'D' word. What if Scott didn't consider this a date? What if he still thought of her as just his passed student? Things were moving way to fast. The poor thing was just cheated on yesterday and still hadn't a chance to talk to his ex-fiancé and now she was classifying their day together as a date?

Scott caught on to this word (unluckily for Rogue) and gave her a skeptical look.

"Rogue this isn't a date" he informed her and now she mentally slapped herself for being so stupid.

Ouch. Talking about smarting your feelings. Here she was with her hopes all high and now he sends her crashing back to reality, which was the fact that this was a day together merely to escape the pressures of the mansion, not to get involved romantically.

"I mean we haven't even kissed yet" Cyclops finished.

"Look Scott I'm sorry I just...huh?" she asked, finally registering what he just said. Did he just hint her about kissing?

But before another word could leave her lips, Scott leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, brining her back into one of his enticing and sophisticated kisses. All her embarrassing thoughts melted away as she invited his lovely tongue in her mouth, entangled her hand in his hair and pulled him in closer to her. Oh Gee was Scott a lovely kisser; passionate and soft, gentle and inviting. More than anything she could ask for.

Much to her displeasure though, Scott broke the kiss after about two complete circles on the wheel and looked into her eyes from his glasses, grinning at her widely.

"Now it's a date"

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Ok now take a second to picture a shirtless, sexy Scott, fantasize about kissing him, wipe up the drool and review!!


	5. Just one more distraction

Of Jealousy and Love ch 5

Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you enjoy it so much. But yes like I said, the last chapter got screwed up by my computer and there were probably some errors that I missed (even though I went over it 3 billion times) but I hope it wasn't to bad. Anyway, this chapter was A-ok and I hope you enjoy as much as the rest!

………………………………….

It was now 11 o clock in the evening and Scott and Rogue were just leaving the fair, trudging through the parking lot to find Scott's car while Rogue lugged a huge teddy bear on her back that Scott had won for her.

Rogue had won her fair share of teddy bears and stuffed animals at theme parks and such but this one took the cake. It was _humongous_, covering her small frame like a super sized poncho and if one were watching from a distance, they could easily mistake Scott walking with a large Pink and White Bear rather than an 18 year old girl. Despite his size, Rogue refused to let go of that bear. It just meant so much to her and really put the icing on her cake of a great evening. Although she considered it to be cheating for Scott to use his outstanding abilities in math and geometry to win the game (along with a little help from his optic blasts when no one was looking), it was still a nice gesture and she loved that he won it for her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold it for you?" Scott asked for the millionth time, while chucking his water bottle in a nearby trash can.

"Yes, I'm sure" she replied for the millionth time, readjusting the bear on her back. "And I keep telling you, it's not an _it_" she added, pronouncing the word it like it was diseased. "His name is Waldo"

Scott chuckled. "Alright" he said, shaking his head in dismay. He really was a bit worried for her. He'd observed her in the danger room before and honestly, the girl couldn't lift a thing over ten pounds, and right now she looked like she was about to crush under the weight of the giant bear. But she was happy, and that was all that mattered. He supposed she'd be holding on to that bear for a very long time.

They finally reached the car, Scott turning off the alarm with his key and opening the doors. It took a moment for Rogue to stuff the Waldo in the back seat before she hopped back in the front shutting the door.

She sighed a happy sigh, putting on her seat belt and adjusting herself in the chair, then turning to Scott who was looking at her.

"Ready to go home? He asked and she frowned at the mention of this.

"No" she grumbled, not wanting this day to ever end. She was having too much fun forgetting about Logan and wasn't ready to go back yet.

"Ya, I don't either but I think we've stalled enough for the day" he said, revving up the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

"No more distractions we can sneak off to?" Rogue asked with a yawn.

"No sorry, no more distractions" Scott said, now pulling onto the road. "Besides you look like you're going to pass out," he said, watching her phase in and out of dreamland.

"I am………..not," she defended yawning once more and now leaning her head on the window. Ok so she was, but it wasn't her fault. Spending a day in the sun and a night at a county fair really took a lot out of a person. "Ok so maybe I'm a little tired but hey, we've had a long day"

"A long, fun day" Scott corrected.

"Right" she said turning to him with a drowsy look in her eyes. "Hey…………..how come you're not tired?"

"X-men training my dear" he replied proudly. "Part of being an X-men is learning to stay alert and stay awake. We could be on missions for days at a time without a chance to sleep and you've got to be able to keep up."

Rogue let go of a sleepy sigh. "Sounds exhausting"

"Ya well, you get used to it over time"

Rogue hmm'd, fixating her eyes on the road. "So uh, how much trouble do you think we'll be in when we get back?" she asked at random and Scott chuckled.

"Trouble? What are you talking about trouble?" he asked sarcastically. "We did nothing wrong"

"Oh ya right. We broke like every rule in the book today. You know how the professor feels about staying out passed eleven and you especially know how he feels about running off without leaving a note or something"

"Well it's not like he didn't know where we were anyway. I mean what with everyone eavesdropping this morning" Scott said with slight annoyance. It sometimes bothered him that he could never really have a private conversation around the mansion without someone else hearing.

"The professor wasn't eavesdropping" Rogue said, mentally double checking her mind to try and remember if she had seen him there when she'd open the back door.

"Well I know that, the professor never eavesdrops; it's not his style. But if I know Jean correctly, she'll wonder why I'm not back at the house by nine, take a peak into my mind and find out where I am, talk to Logan about it, he'll get angry that I'm with you and blow a gasket, mouthing off to the whole house, the others will hear, one of them will be Jubilee, and surprise, surprise, the little bumble bee goes buzzing off to the professor to tell him something he already knows."

"Wow" Rogue said, knowing that his explanation would most likely occur down to the tee.

"Ya I know" Scott sighed. "It's a vicious cycle"

"Nosey Bastards" she said and the two of them laughed.

"But seriously, I don't think we'll be in to much trouble if not any, I mean it's not like we did anything wrong."

"Ya, your right. I mean no one said we _can't _go out on a little venture for the day, it's not etched in stone or anything"

"Exactly" Cyclops agreed.

"Good so then………….why go back?" she asked him, taking her eyes off the road and looking at him.

"Excuse me?" Scott asked, not sure if her understood her point.

"Why go back?" Rogue repeated. "I mean, we're only going to return there at what, twelve in the morning, wake everyone up, start the twenty questions on where we've been and cause mayhem with the yelling and the arguing and for what? To resort back to tears and awkward silence like we had this morning?"

Scott nodded; she was right. But it's not like he could just up and leave Xavier's, he had responsibilities to fulfill and Xavier's is his home. "So what are you suggesting? We run away?"

"No, no, absolutely not. I'm just suggesting we take a break from it all. Just for over night. Right now I think everyone just needs some time away from each other to calm down and get a good nights rest, we can address this issue in the morning but we don't need to go back right now and keep everyone up until three in the morning with arguments and fights."

Scott nodded more firmly. Her idea defiantly made a lot of sense. He always knew the girl had a lot of common sense.

"You're right" he told her. "Absolutely and completely right."

Rogue smiled. "Great. So why don't we pull over on the side of the road, hop in the back seat, grab a blanket and hit the hey" she suggested, already pulling her seat back but stopped short when she hit Waldo.

Scott frowned at this. "Uh, uh, I don't think so" he said giving her an unbelievable look.

"What?" she asked reading his expression like a map.

"I'm not sleeping in the back of a car." Scott protested.

"Why not?" she asked. She didn't understand the big deal; she used to do it with Logan all the time.

"Because it's cramped and uncomfortable and………..just….no!"

"You spoiled little thing" she playfully accused, laughing at his distaste for camping out in the back of a vehicle. "I thought you were supposed to be this big ol' tough X-man"

"So"

"So, X-men can handle tough terrain can't they? And I'd have to say that back of a car is a lot more comfy than some of the things I've seen in the danger room"

"Look if anything I sleep in the black bird but I refuse to camp out in the back of a car" he said and Rogue laughed again.

"So where do you plan to go?"

"Don't worry about that, I've got it covered."

………………………………

They arrived at a nearby hotel, only twenty minutes away from the fair, which was more than far enough for them to sleep comfortably without any disturbances but close enough to get back in the morning without hitting any traffic.

Rogue had fallen asleep in the car and Scott had carried her and their things inside (save Waldo) checking them in for one night in one of the rooms.

The room was nice a quaint, pretty much a typical hotel room. Two beds, one TV, a small desk, bathroom, closet, free soap, those sorts of things, but Scott was more concerned on taking a shower and hitting the hay rather than what the room looked like.

When he set Rogue on the bed, she awoke from the noises of his scuffling and rubbed her eyes, looking around the hotel room.

"Morning already?" she asked, confused from her sleepiness.

Scott chuckled. "Rogue, you only fell asleep an hour ago" he informed her and she nodded, flopping back on the pillows.

"Ok then, goodnight"

"Hey" he said, grabbing her attention by flinging something in her direction.

Rogue picked up what his tossed at her, only to find it was a pair of pajamas and looked at him oddly. He didn't expect her to strip for him did he?

"Maybe it's just me but after a day in the chlorine, it might not be a good idea to go to sleep with all of it still soaking in your skin" he said and she nodded, getting up off the bed and heading to the shower.

…………………….

When the two finished showering and brushing their teeth and all, it was one thirty in the morning and even with his X-men training and all, Scott and Rogue were drained. Scott just finished brushing his teeth and came out of the bathroom, shutting the door and hopping into the opposing bed from Rogue.

"Ah, finally, sleep" he praised, snuggling under the covers.

"Hey Scott" Rogue began, throwing her clothes that they had bought for the fair, into the bag that had her Jeans and tank.

"Did you pay for the room with the professor's card?" she asked him, pulling the golden card from out her jeans pocket.

"No, I paid for it with my own, just like I did the fair." He replied. "You didn't notice?" he asked.

Rogue grinned. "No, you sneaky little thing" she said.

"Jeez Rogue I'm the one wearing the glasses here." He said and she laughed. "I could've stolen money and you wouldn't have noticed."

"Apparently. And where did all the pj's and toothbrushes come from?" she quizzed.

"My car" he replied simply

"Holy cow, is there anything you don't have in there?" she asked. So far on their little outing Scott has pulled out, his visors, an extra pair of shades, warm towels, pj's, toothbrushes and money all from the trunk and little compartments in his car.

"Uhhh……………an oven but I'm working on that" he joked and Rogue chuckled. "Hey, I just like to be prepared, I mean we don't always take the jet when we go on a mission you know, sometimes we take the cars and you have to be equipped with supplies that could last you over night."

"Ah, I see."

"And besides, I got the pajamas from the gift shop downstairs, not the car. If you notice they aren't engraved with an 'X'"

Rogue nodded, looking down at her jimmies to find they were pink with rubber-duckies all over them. "But I thought you said you only had twenty bucks."

"I lied" he grinned and she playfully pouted, darting him with a pillow.

"Hey!"

"Serves you right" she said, now snuggling into her bed and turning off the light on her side.

Scott sighed switching his glasses to his nighttime visors before doing the same. Adjusting to a comfortable position and letting go of another sigh, he yawned. "Goodnight Rogue"

"Goodnight Scott" she yawned in return, also getting into a comfortable position.

Silence dropped into the room as the two began to drift off into dreamland but it didn't last to long as Rogue had to go and break it with yet another question. "Scott?" she asked.

"Ya?"

"You don't like, go commando or anything when you sleep do you?" she asked and Cyclops nearly chocked from such a forward question. He would have really expected something like that from Jubilee.

"No are you kidding me? Not in New York!"

"What do you mean not in New York? So you did it back home?"

"No, I never do, I have sensitive skin" he admitted and Rogue giggled. He could be such a softie at times.

"Stop laughing, it's not funny" he defended and she just giggled some more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she said in between giggles. "I just think it's cute" she added and Scott sighed.

"Ya whatever of course you would think it's funny because _you_ don't need sensitive skin lotion to keep from developing a rash." He said and Rogue giggled harder, barley able to breath from the humorous scenario. How funny was it that the oh-so fearless leader of the mighty X-men had skin like a baby and needed a special lotion to keep from getting a rash on his precious tush. Oh it was priceless.

"Anyway" Scott began. "I just feel bad for the poor sap that does go commando up here" he said.

"Why?" she asked after she finished her giggling fit.

"Because New York is home to the bed bugs. I can't count the number of times hotels have been sued up here because people have been severely bitten" he said.

Now Rogue quit laughing completely. "Well thanks a lot Scott." she replied sarcastically. "Such a comforting thing to tell someone who's about to fall asleep in a New York hotel. You should really win an award for best conversations to talk about when someone's about to fall to sleep"

"Hey well you started it with the whole commando business" he defended. Now it was his turn to chuckle.

"Cut it out, it's not funny" she said, pegging him with another pillow.

"Hey!" he laughed, placing the pillow behind him with the other one. "Well I'll tell you what, I'll protect you from the bed bugs since you're so scared of um." He promised.

" And just how do you plan to do that?"

"When you're being eaten alive, just scream out, _Scott, they're eating me, they're eating me!_ And I'll be there in a flash with my beams. Well you know of course I'll have to take a minute to tell you I told you so and snap a few Polaroid's for future blackmail at the mansion but then, I'm all over it " He said, laughing some more from his own comic genius.

"That's not funny!" Rogue said, resisting a chuckle from his corniness and trying to give him the impression that she was not amused. She pegged him with another pillow, only having one left, and with the way Scott was going at it, she was about to end up, pillow-less.

"Hey, you're almost out of ammo" he said, calming down from his laughter.

"Ya whatever, keep it up and you'll get the last one real good"

"Hmm, do I detect a hint of a pillow war?"

Rogue laughed. Any other night she'd be up for it, but right now she was so drained, all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Na, maybe in the morning, I'm ambushed" she said, flopping down on the one pillow she had left.

Scott chuckled, "Rogue come here" he said, scooting over on his bed to make room for her.

"No, in the morning, I'm tired" she said, throwing her face in the pillow, and completely missing the invitation into his bed.

"Come here" he repeated and she groaned, dragging herself out of bed and meeting him at his, sitting on the edge of the bed to see what he wanted.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

Scott replied by wrapping his muscular arms around her waist and pulling her in the bed next to him, keeping that arm around her as he let her head lay on the pillow, completing the spoon position.

"There, now I can protect you better" he said and Rogue grinned against the pillow. Ahh, Scott, what a hopeless romantic.

"Goodnight Scott"

"Goodnight Rogue"

……………………………………

It was two-thirty. Two thirty in the freaking morning and Rogue and Scott still had not returned to the mansion yet. Logan was beyond pissed now, and as everyone had gone to bed, (with the slight worry of Scott and Rogue still in their minds, Logan was wide awake, still worrying about where Rogue could be.

What was taking her so long? Did the two run away? They couldn't get very far with a half full tank of gas and the clothes on their back could they? Why haven't they called to let someone know where they were? What in God's name were they doing?!

All these questions and more, raced through Logan's head as he paced back and forth in his room contemplating on weather or not he should go a search for them.

"Logan…….." Jean groaned, sitting up in his bed and glaring at him for disturbing her in her sleep. Not only was the guy keeping her up with his rather load shuffling but, he's constant thought of worry were parading through her head and it was giving her a real headache. "Come back to bed" she said, patting the side next to her. "It's late at night"

"I can't sleep Jean" he said grabbing a cigar from his nightstand and placing it in his mouth.

"You haven't even tried" she said.

Logan grunted, searching for his lighter within his dresser and in his pockets.

"Logan c'mon, their fine"

"How do you know that?"

"Just trust me, I know"

He sighed now, grabbing his coat off his closet door handle and his boots that were sitting near by. Slipping on his boots and throwing on his jacket, Logan grabbed the keys to Scott's motorcycle from off hiss dresser and began heading to the door.

"Where are you going now?" she asked. "The bed is this way"

"I can't take it anymore Jean, I'm going to look for them" he said, and with that he was out the door.

Jean sighed, flopping back on the pillow as she watched him go. She gave up.

……………………………..


	6. The calm before the storm

Of Jealousy and Love ch 6

Sorry for the long break in between updates you guys, I had to go back to school and I've been super busy. But I managed to squeeze some time in to write a little more so enjoy! And thanks for the reviews, keep um' coming.

……………………………..

The following morning…………………..

It was around ten in the morning when Rogue woke up. She was still tired from the day before but woke up nonetheless, knowing that she and Scott had to head back to the mansion sooner or later.

"Good morning!" came the bright and chirpy greeting from none other than Cyclops. He was munching on a bowl of fruit while watching the morning news, already groomed and dressed in his usual polo shirt and slacks. Rogue double checking the time to make sure she saw correctly when she awoke then briefly wondered how Scott was so chipper so early in the morning.

"You're a morning person aren't you?" Rogue asked him with a tired yawn, rubbing her eyes which were still puffy from sleep deprivation and running a hand through her hair to shake out the knots.

Scott nodded proudly. "It's the magic of coffee" he said, holding his mug up to her as if he was making a toast. "Besides when you have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to prepare to teach children all day, you sort of get used to it" he replied.

Rogue sighed. "I was never a morning person" she stated. "Even after all those years of school"

"I would know, I mean being late to my class 104 times sort of sends a message, wouldn't you agree?"

Rouge chuckled. "How do you remember that?" she asked, wondering how he could remember the exact number of times she'd been late to his class. "Wait don't tell me, X-men training and learning to store mass amounts of information in your head?" she asked.

"No, no, not at all." He answered. "I never forget certain students in my class" he said winking at her and Rogue smiled a bashful smile, trying to hide her blush.

Although most people could never tell when Scott winked due to his tinted shades, Rogue was always able to read his eyes only because of the way his eyebrows fixated when he made certain gestures. Like when they furrowed together that was a confused look, or when they drew into the base of his shades that was him glaring, or even like just now, when one would make a quick jerking motion, that was him winking, which was currently making her blush.

"Hey" he began, interrupting her thinking. "I got you some breakfast" he said pointing to the mini-table which was stuffed with food. "I wasn't sure what you liked or what you felt like eating so I just got one of everything"

Rogue smiled. "Thanks, that's so sweet." She admired. "But I think I'm going to go wash up first, I need to rinse the sleep out of my eyes."

Scott paused from watching tv, taking a closer look at her to find the "sleep" she was referring to. "Oh" he said, finally finding it. "Good idea" he added, suppressing a chuckle.

Rogue smirked at the mention of this and chucked a pillow at him before heading to the bathroom.

………………………………….

After freshening up, eating breakfast and gathering their things together, it was now 10:45 and the pair had just checked out of the hotel, and begun heading to the car, ready to make their journey home.

"So………you ready now?" Scott asked, going over the receipt that the receptionist printed out for him before shoving it into his back pocket.

"No, but do we really have a choice?" she asked.

"Nah, I don't think so. I think right about now the professor is about utterly pissed at me for leaving without notice and spending his money. He might consider making Ororo the captain of the team now."

Rogue giggled. "He probably aint' mad." She said. "Worried, but not mad. I've never seen him get mad before."

"That's because you weren't there that day in 94' when the air conditioner blew out and the kids were driving the professor up the wall with their worries and complaints. Plus we had the whole mutant issue on our hands, no X-men formulated yet, Hank quitting his job and the professor about to claim bankruptcy because something had went wrong with his bank account. He was stressed to the max and when the next kid came up to complain to him about the AC…………………." Scott dramatically gulped. "That was the last time we ever saw little Timmy. The professor blew a gasket and screamed the hardest I ever heard him scream in my entire life. The winds were howling, the ground was shaking, lighting was pounding down onto the earth, I thought it was the sign of the apocalypse."

Rogue gasped, eyes wide, listening intently to the story; she could not believe her ears. "Are you serious?" she asked in awe about the whole thing.

"Nah, I'm totally kiddin' ya" he said, laughing at how gullible Rogue was.

Rogue whacked him on the arm for playing around with her like that and chuckled as well while Scott laughed some more, slinging his arms around her shoulder. "No but in all seriousness, you're right, the professor, doesn't get mad." He said. "But that doesn't mean we should run from out problems."

Rogue sighed. Scott was right. Damn she hated it but she loved it at the same time. "You're right" she admitted lacing her fingers with his that were hanging over her right shoulder. "But that still doesn't mean that I want to"

"Well hey, I don't either but let's just try to get this over and done with and see how things work out ok?"

Rogue smiled, looking at him through his glasses and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Ok" she said.

Scott smiled. "Good" he said, now re-directing his attention to finding the car. "Hey if we were so tired last night, why did we park so far in the……………….."

He stopped mid-sentence and his face hardened when he saw what, or who rather, was standing next to his car.

"What?" Rogue asked, noticing his pause and changes in facial expression. "What happ………………….." she too paused when she saw the who that was leaning against his car, a not so happy expression on his face as he glared at the two, or Scott in particular, and smoked a cigar.

"Logan"

……………………………………………..

Jean sighed, rolling over in her bed once more while trying to get a decent sleep. It was no use; she might as well just give up. She tried to sleep last night but Logan's consistent thoughts stampeding through her mind and his rather load shuffling kept her wide awake. Then when he decided to leave she grew worried for him (or rather worried for the violent confrontation that he might greet Scott and Rouge with) and that too kept her wide awake. And now, it was 10:45 in the morning, at which normally she'd be down in the lab, nursing sick kids in the infirmary or doing some more research with Hank about mutant genetics but here she was, in her bed, trying to get some rest. And it wasn't working.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting Jean's mental raving about her sleep deprivation. Unlocking the door with her telekinesis, Jean sat up in bed before replying, "Come in", in a tired voice, not completely ready for visitors at this moment.

It was Ororo; shyly popping a head full of long white tresses in the room and greeting Jean with a small smile before coming in completely, and shutting the door.

"I brought you some tea" she said, handing the herbs to her friend who accepted graciously, taking a sip of the warm goodness.

"Thank you Ro'" Jean said with the up most gratitude. "You always know what to do" she said.

"No problem" Storm said, climbing onto the rather high, King-sized bed with a little bit of difficulty. She always found it a problem to be 5'6, with friends who were near six feet and above in which she had to look up to them to speak or in this instance, climb onto a rather high bed that was specialized for taller people.

"So………"Ororo began once getting comfortable atop the fluff of sheets and pillows. "How are you doing?" she asked, no other appropriate question coming to mind.

"Not so hot" Jean replied honestly. She had cheated on her fiancé and couldn't get a decent night's sleep, she was sure anyone else in her shoes wouldn't feel to great either.

"I could imagine" Ororo sympathized. "Have you talked to Scott yet?" she asked, taking a bold dare in asking that question, as she wasn't sure of Jean's emotional state yet. But that was her job; she was Jean's best friend and she would always be there for her, through the good, bad and the awkward.

"No, not yet" she replied, taking another sip of tea. "He still hasn't come back from yesterday"

Storm scrunched up her eyebrows in bewilderment. "Still hasn't come back?" she asked. "But I could've sworn this morning I heard the garage opening and his…………"

"That was Logan" Jean interrupted. "He was upset about Rogue being missing for so long and he went to look for them."

Storm nodded slowly now, adding all this information together and concluding that this would not make for a happy ending. "Oh, this isn't going to turn out pretty" she said.

"Hence my being up all night" Jean concluded.

"Well I'm sure once all the tension cools off, and you know, everyone takes a break from one another, things will be ok"

"Ro', were talking about Logan and Scott here; two of the most hard headed, stubborn people I have ever met in my entire life; don't count on it." She said.

Storm nodded in agreement. "You're right." She said. "So how are you holding up?"

Jean sighed, staring into her mug of tea. "I don't know." She admitted truthfully. "I mean I feel terrible, absolutely horrible about what I did to Scott you know? After all the guy was my fiancé and he was in love with me for Pete's sake and I didn't even talk to him about things first, I kept it all to myself and now look how it turned out."

"And what about Logan?"

"You know Ro', the funny thing is, even though I feel awful about what I did to Scott……………I just…………………I find myself not regretting anything I did with Logan. I mean me and him are so in tune with each other, so in sync to one another that I just can't find myself regretting anything I do with him. And that just leads to more guilt to the fact that I have a stronger connection to him than I do to Scott" Jean sighed. "I don't know, it's all to confusing"

There was a brief pause in the room as Jean continued to stare into her tea and Storm thought of something to say next but Jean beat her to it. "Ro' if I ask you a question, will you be totally honest with me?" she asked.

"Well that depends" the weather witch replied. "If my honesty gets me hurled into a wall then hell no." she joked a Jean chuckled a small chuckle. It was nice that her friend could manage a chuckle out of her in times like these. "But if I'm honest and you grasp my opinions with control then I'm all for it."

Jean chuckled again. "I promise, you won't be hurled into the wall, window, floor or any piece of furniture."

"You didn't mention the ceiling"

"Or the ceiling" Jean vowed.

"Good" Ororo replied. "Then shoot"

"Well…………" the red-head began, tracing her finger around the rim of the mug. "I just wanted to know, what you're thoughts on all of this was."

"My thoughts?"

"Ya you know, are you mad at me? Mad at Logan? Confused? Sympathetic, or do you just have no thoughts on it at all?" she elaborated.

"Well first off Jean, I'm not mad at you, I could never be mad at you, you're my best friend" she said and Jean smiled. "I'm not mad at anyone. Not you, not Logan, not Scott not, Rogue, not anyone. Although I have to admit, Scott is really close to me, almost like an older brother, I'm disappointed you did what you did without talking to him first and hurting him, but no one, not even yourself can deny your true feelings. If you love Logan, than go for Logan, if you love Hank than hey, go for Hank. Hell if you love Magneto than I say go for it."

"Ro!"

"Sorry, but my point is, your feelings are your feelings. You feel how you feel and no one can change that, and your heart us never wrong. It'll always point out your true love, and if that's Logan than hey, that's the way the cookies crumble sometimes, but just make sure you stay true to yourself and follow your heart."

Jean smiled a full genuine smile this time. "Aww, Ro, you always know what to say" she said, giving her best friend a hug.

"Hey I just tell like it is" she said and Jean smiled some more.

"Thanks for being here for me Ro, you have no idea how much it means to me right now."

"Hey no problem. I'm your best friend, I'm always here for you, rain, sun, sleet or snow, I'm here to support you"

"Thanks Ororo" she said giving her friend another hug.

"No problem, Jeanie." She replied, returning the favor. "Oh but just so we're clear on things, if you ever cheat on _me_ and find a knew best friend, I'll hunt you down and fry you with a thousand bolts"

Jean laughed. "You have nothing to worry about Ro"

…………………………………

Review!!!


	7. The drive back home

Of Jealousy and Love ch 7

Hey readers!!!! Finally I updated! I know you guys are probably tired of my long intervals between chapters but hey, what can I say? School has been keeping me busier than ever, you know with the constant work and all and high school would not be complete without the meaningless drama that my friends ask me advice about. But I managed to find time apart from my double life to take a breather and do what I do best; write. And what better way than with another chapter!

As far as this chapter goes, I'm not to happy with the way it turned out but I don't know, maybe it's just me, I tend to be to hard on myself. Meanwhile, enjoy the addition and as always, reviews are welcome so don't forget to tell me what you think!

Oh and one more comment about the grammar. I know people have been reviewing me and giving me friendly reminders about my grammar and I thank you for that but I apologize it's so terrible in the first place. I swear I re-read it like three times before I update, but you'll have to excuse me. English is my second language and I'm still trying to master it but so far I'm doing the best I can so but once again, thanks for the friendly reminder, I'll try and do better.

……………………………………

"Logan" Rogue repeated, unable to believe her eyes. Her mind was racing with a million questions but not one word could come out of her mouth other than "Logan". What was he doing here? How'd he get here? What did he want? He already broke her heart by telling her flat out that she wasn't his type so what did he want now? Didn't he say he didn't care about her, wasn't he in love with Jean? So what was he doing here?

Meanwhile while Rogue was pondering these questions in her head, Scott was boiling with fury from the man in front of him. Hadn't this home wreaker had enough? What was he doing here? He honestly thought that Logan was out to get him because every time he found happiness, there Logan was ready to take it away. First his bikes, then there was the constant ridicule and practical jokes, then he stole his precious fiancé and now that he's finally found a little bit of comfort in Rogue, here he is to take that away too. Wasn't Rogue "not his type" anyway? Just what the hell did he want?

"What the hell is going on here?" Logan asked, burning out his cigar on the pavement and glaring daggers at Scott who returned the favor with equal force.

"Logan what are you doing here?" Rogue asked, finally finding her words.

"I think the same question is in order" he replied.

"No, the same question is not in order because this is none of your dammed business" Scott shot back, his voice on borderline yelling. It was the same tone he had when he was usually about to scream at Pyro for irking him and give him a weeks worth of kitchen duty.

"Oh, none of my dammed business?" Logan asked with his usual sarcastic tone. "You mean you take a minor out on a mini-vacation all day and drag her to some fancy hotel and that's none of my business?"

"I'm not a minor Logan!" Rogue defended.

"Yes it's none of your business Logan because this involves, two people; me and Rogue, no one else. So why don't you just leave us the hell alone and go back home"

"Because Rogue is my dammed business"

"The hell I'm not!" she yelled and him, finally pulling away from what turned into Scott's protective grasp and placing a hand on her hip. "You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me……………….."

"I never said that Rogue………." Logan interrupted.

"It doesn't matter what the hell you said, you still made it clear you were with Jean so why are you here?"

"Because you're with him!"

"It never bothered you before"

"Well it does now!"

"Well too bad!"

"Too bad my ass!" Logan roared. "Rogue, if you don't get on this motorcycle right now, I'll………………"

"Do what? Ground me? If you haven't noticed Logan I'm 18 years old and I can do whatever I feel like doing without your consent!"

"So that's it huh?"

"So what's it?"

"You think that just because you're eighteen you're an adult now right?"

"She's more of an adult than you are" Scott fired at him.

"Shut-up Scooter!" Logan said, his claws threatening to escape his knuckles. He turned his attention back to Rogue who was still glaring at him with fury, ready to argue rather than listen to what he had to say. "You think just because you're eighteen years old now, you know what's best for you?"

"And you do?!" Rogue yelled. "You're not my father!"

"I might as well be! He sure did a hell of a job raising you! Kicking his damn delinquent mutant daughter out of the house, and for what? So she can learn how to hitchhike and pick up older men! Open your eyes Rogue; do you think he really gives a rat's ass what happens to you? All his looking for is some vulnerable sap to get an easy screw of off so he can get over his pathetic sorrow."

"That's not true Logan" Rogue said in a softer voice, a little chocked by the tears that were threatening to fall. She was stung by his words, and stung bad but she was determined not to cry. She'd learn from his own training that some things weren't worth crying over and she would make sure that she wasted no more tears on him.

"It's not true" she repeated.

"That's enough Logan!" Scott said, trying to put an attempt on the Wolverine raining on her parade. Scott never understood Logan's tough love and as a matter of fact he wasn't sure it was love at all. He always seemed to find pleasure in putting other people down and now that he was directing his negativity towards Rogue, Scott wasn't too happy about it. Rogue had done nothing to hurt him in any way. Even when she was having the worst of days and Logan spat his words of cruelty on her, she'd forced on a smile for him, comforted him as much as she could and went up to her room to console herself in tears.

Scott couldn't count the number of times he had woken up in the night seeing her crying to herself in the rec room, out in the garden, in the kitchen or even in the foyer. Even after his teachings of when it was ok to cry, she still shed tears at the fact that she felt she wasn't supposed to, but still couldn't help it. Logan was constantly putting her down and making her cry. Scott couldn't understand why she had stuck around him so much and why she claimed to love him, when all he did was make her upset.

"Stay out of this Scooter!" Logan growled, clenching his fists.

"No Logan, I'm not putting up with this anymore……………."

"Putting up with what? What involves me and the kid don't concern you."

"_There he goes calling me a kids again"_ Rogue thought. "_I guess what he said earlier is true. So what is he doing here?"_

"No it does concern me Logan because when I see someone at the mansion, one of my former students no less, crying her eyes out night after night over some egotistic dog who doesn't give a damn about what he's doing to her or what she's feeling, then yes, it does concern me, and it does involve me."

"You know what your problem is Scooter, you're too got' dammed nosey. You know everything about everyone and you won't stop until your involved in every last problem and solve it with one of your dammed X-men routines."

"And you know what your problem is Logan? You're ego is larger then that damn belt buckle you have hanging off your waist and your too damn conceited. You can't stand the thought of someone not paying any attention to you or wallowing over your needs, and you seem to think in that hairy little head of yours that every women at the mansion, will throw themselves down at your feet to serve you."

"Well Jean certainly did" the Wolverine spat.

Another sore spot hit; and hit hard. Scott felt like throwing off his shades and burning a hole into Logan's chest right then and right there. It was needless to say that he wasn't over loosing his fiancé, after all it's only been two days, and he didn't needed to be reminded of it. Not just yet, and certainly not from him.

"Logan!" Rogue scolded, a feeling of pity washing over her as she knew what it was like to be stabbed in the chest by Logan's harsh words.

"You know what, it's ok Rogue. Let him bask in his glory, he likes the attention."

"Scott you don't have to……………"

"It's ok, I've got it Rogue" he said to her before turning back to the man in front of him. "You know what Logan, Jean is going to be the last person that ever _throws herself _at yourfeet, because as of now, I will do anything and everything it takes to make you that you _never _hurt Rogue again."

Logan quirked a suggestive eyebrow at him, that was a rather interesting promise to make; especially for Scott. "So what are you her big protector now?"

"Yes I am her big protector now; and I'm warning you, back the fuck off"

……………………………………..

It was a long drive back to the mansion. A long and quiet drive.

While Logan had tagged along behind them in Scott's motorcycle, Rogue and Scott (and Waldo) drove back to Xavier's mansion without so much as a peep coming from either of them. Both were angry, both were upset, both were in a state of shock and on top of all that, both were confused.

Logan had made it clear the previous morning that he didn't have feelings for Rogue and only thought of her in a "daughter" like manor. So why did he follow them? Why did he care were she was? Why did he care that she was with Scott?

Both of them knew that the whole bit he gave about Scott only wanting an easy screw from Rogue was untrue because anyone with half a brain knew that Scott wasn't the type of person to take advantage of anyone and he especially wasn't the type of person to go for one-night stands. So why had Logan followed them? Was he spying on them all day? Was he doing some detective work for Xavier?

Or could it be……………could it be that Logan had still cared for Rogue. Maybe there was a small chance that the Wolverine still had a thing for the southern beauty and was maybe having doubts about which woman to be with; Rogue or Jean.

The thought of this only angered Scott more because it made him feel as though if this were true, Logan would yet again be steeling something away from him that gave him joy and happiness. He still needed to sort out his feelings about Jean because at the moment he could just be feeling extreme sorrow from the lost of Jean but, so far, he felt as though he was really making a connection with Rogue, a connection he's never made with her before. As time went on Scott was discovering new things about her, new things he's never seen in his classes, and new things he was beginning to like.

Rogue had a certain character trait, a certain heir, a certain charisma that was quite interesting and very hard to find these days. Not only was she loving, sweet and kind but, she was bold, adventurous and daring. Random at some moments and shy at others, you never knew what she was going to do next and Scott liked that about her. Every moment with her was an unplanned adventure, rather than a scheduled play date like it was with Jean, and Scott didn't want to be torn away from that; not now; not when he was content.

Glancing over at the woman in thought, he caught her staring and staring hard out the window, a mix of anger and confusion expressed on her face. It was tough seeing her like this; especially when she was more than elated about an hour ago.

"Hey" he said, just above a whisper, taking one hand off the steering wheel and brushing it over her bare arm.

Rogue turned to him, softening her expression a little and gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry ok? Everything is going to be fine" he reassured.

Rogue sighed. "I hate when people say that" she admitted. Scott couldn't agree more. He hated when people told him that when the worst possible thing imaginable happened. To him "everything will be alright" was like a common courtesy type thing, sort of like "please and thank you" or "bless you"; no one really means it, but they just say it because it's polite.

"You're right, you're right" he admitted. "I don't know if everything is going to be ok but where ever this things goes, for better or for worse, I'll be there for you ok?" he promised now, giving her a reassuring smile.

Rogue smiled as well. "You promise?" she asked.

"Promise"

…………………………………..

"Well, well, well" the professor began, sighing a rather amused sigh as he wheeled from around his desk to get a better look at the two in front of him. "You two have had quite the adventure haven't you?"

Rogue and Scott arrived back to the mansion about 45 minutes after their encounter with Logan and as soon as they parked in the garage, they were called to the professor's office.

As they walked the halls of the mansion and passed a few of the students on their way over, whispers began floating around about the latest gossip on the love square and what could have possibly happened between the math teacher and the "untouchable girl". Despite these whispers going on, not two feet in front of them, both stood strong, ignoring all the whispers and comments and continuing to the professor's office, all the while trying to find every route imaginable to miss coming in contact with Jean or Logan.

And now here they were, in the dean's office, nothing but the three of them and the ticking of the grandfather clock, awaiting the lecture they were about to receive from the professor.

"Look professor, I'm sorry" Scott began. "I know it was irresponsible for me to take off like that and bring Rogue with me but I was………………….."

"It's alright, it's alright Scott" Charles gently interrupted and Scott closed his mouth.

He was a bit confused. Normally if something like this were to happen, the professor would lecture him about being responsible and letting him know where he was going to be; especially when a student (or former student) was involved. The professor didn't like being up and about in the middle of the night, keeping a mental link open 24-7 to make sure they were safe; he worried about these things for he knew what a danger the world could be; especially when mutants were involved.

"Although I'm disappointed you didn't call to let me know where you were, as I could defiantly expect better from you Scott" he began while Scott nodded in agreement. The professor was right; it was very irresponsible of him to not at least call and let him know his location. "I understand why you did it"

"You do?" Cyclops asked.

"Yes I do" the professor repeated. "I do remember what it was like to be young you know"

"Ya but professor, have you ever…………………"

"No I don't think I've been in a situation quite like your Scott, or like Rogues, but I have been in one similar to it. And I understand sometimes, with your personal life and the pressures of the mansion, it can get to be a little overwhelming and sometimes you need to escape."

"You've left the mansion before professor?" Rogue asked.

"Never _left_ per say, but I have stepped out the mansion grounds to have a few hours to myself. Sometimes you just need a little a lone time, or time away from everything to gather yourself back together. And I'd much rather the two of you, handle the situation in the way you did then start a brawl in the middle of the hallways" he said.

"Right" Scott agreed.

"So that's it?" Rogue asked. "We're not in trouble?"

The professor chuckled. "You were never in trouble my dear, I just wanted to discuss it with you and kindly ask that you please never do it again." He said.

Rogue smiled. "Will do professor." Rogue said. "Next time we'll send a carrier pigeon" she vowed and the professor chuckled.

"That's better" he said. "Alright well, off with the two of you, you're done here" he said with that warm, genuine smile of his.

"Thanks professor" Rogue said, standing up from her seat and giving him a hug. She didn't know what she was thanking him for, but it was something about the professor that always made you want to thank him after you were threw speaking with him.

"You're welcome Rogue" he said returning the favor.

Giving him one last smile, the two turned to leave the office and no sooner did they open the door were they greeted by the solemn red head, of whom they were trying to avoid standing a few feet in front of them.

"Scott, we need to talk"

……………………………………………..

Review!!!!!


	8. Conversations

Of Jealousy and Love ch 8

…………………………………………

Walking into their room and closing the door, Scott sighed as he watched his ex-fiancé climb onto the bed and sit down, solemnly looking down before patting the spot next to her, expecting him to follow.

Scott refused, deciding to stand instead, not wanting to be anywhere near the woman who betray him. He was still angry, no doubt, from the argument with Logan and the fact that this whole room, even Jean, smelled of the mutton chop man, and by the looks of how things were going today, he didn't think this, "talk" was going to make things any better.

Jean on the other hand, reading Scott's mind like a packet of instructions knew exactly how he was feeling right now, and didn't know how to approach this conversation without making him any angrier. What do you tell to the man who you cheated on with his worst enemy?

"Ok well um…..Scott, I just wanted to say that………………well…………first of all, I'm sorry." Grabbing his attention with these words, Scott gave her a quirky look. "I mean, I know what I did was wrong, I know I should have talked to you first and for that I'm………………………….."

"Wait what?" Scott interrupted another set of words grabbing his attention. "You should have talked to me first?" he asked. "You wanted to talk to me about cheating on me?"

"No" she replied then sighed a hard sigh. "I should have talked to you about my having feelings for Logan before I went off and did something like what I did last night"

"Oh, oh, right. You should have told me that you have a crush on the guy, then you screw him. Now it makes perfect sense."

Noting the sarcasm in his voice, Jean knew he was mad. Maybe now wasn't the best time for this conversation.

"Look, Scott I know you're mad…………….."

"No Jean, I'm beyond mad, I'm pissed! How could you do this to me Jean? How could you of all people do this to me! I mean I could understand if he molested you or something because that is unsurprisingly in Logan's nature but you went and _willingly_ slept with him, while we were still engaged!"

"I'm sorry" was all she could say, lowing her head to the ground in shame. She really was sorry. She wished that Scott wasn't so angry and he could see that.

"And if that's not enough, you flirted with him, constantly, and denied that you had feelings for him over and over again. I mean how do I even know this was the first time you and Logan slept together?"  
"It is Scott a swear"

"How do I know that!" he yelled. He knew she was being calm in her efforts to talk to him but all the pent up anger and frustration that he's been hiding in his time with Rogue was beginning to come out. "How do I know that you didn't screw him one night and then slip into our bed and do me too!"

"Scott I would never do that to you, you know me!"

"No you're wrong, I don't know you Jean! Because the Jean I know wouldn't cheat on the man she loves!"

The red-head sighed again, not knowing what else to say. There were no excuses for what she's done and she knew that, but all she was trying to do was apologize.

"Scott, I'm sorry" she repeated again. He couldn't believe that she wasn't trying to patch things up with him. He had really expected her to beg for forgiveness after what she's done and try and make things work but all she could say was that she was sorry! She wasn't even attempting to reconcile with the man she "loved" all she wanted to do was apologize and ease her own guilt. And the thought of that just made him really want to blow up at her and call her spiteful names, but Scott wasn't that type of person. As mad as he was at her for doing this to him, she didn't deserve something like that.

"Jean, sorry can't even begin to cover what you've done." He said. "I just…………I can't…………….I don't even know what else to say" he admitted, shaking his head in dismay.

"Me either." She replied. "Except I truly wish you knew how sorry I was Scott. I never intended to hurt you. It just sort of………………..happened."

Cyclops shook his head once more. "I really don't want to respond to that" he admitted. "I'll probably say something I'll regret later"

Jean sighed for the millionth time. Maybe now wasn't the best time to apologize, Scott was beyond pissed and wasn't really paying her apologies any attention. "So……………where do we go from here?" she asked. A very stupid question to ask but a pending one no less, as she wanted to find out what he wanted to do about this.

Scott sighed a hard sigh; the one's that make you feel like there's a ball in the back of your throat because you know your next decision is going to be a hard one.

Un-folding his hands from their position across his upper torso, Scott raised his right hand to chest level and slipped off the golden engagement band he had across his finger. He could feel all the memories, flooding to the front of his mind as he did so and he wasn't sure if it was Jean's doing, or just himself, but he knew this had to be done.

"We don't go anywhere Jean" he replied, opening her hand and placing the ring in her palm. Jean could feel the tears springing to her eyes as it stung and stung hard to whiteness something like this.

"We're over"

………………………………………….

Meanwhile in Rogue's room……………………

Rogue had just finished dragging Waldo from out Scott's car and to her room and was pretty exhausted seeing as how Waldo was a pretty big bear.

All the while she was thinking about what Jean and Scott were talking about secretly hoping that Jean didn't try to reel Scott back in. She knew that it was a horrible thought to think and she only wanted to see Scott happy, but she was just so jealous when it came to the redheaded doctor. Rogue never found it fair that the woman had curves, looks, brains, and the ability to have every guy she wants. She's already stolen Logan from her, and now that Rogue's found a little bit of happiness in Scott, she felt as though Jean was going to snatch that away too.

Although she would have to admit that it was rather soon for her to be developing a crush on anyone, seeing as how Logan just crushed her heart two days ago, Rogue liked Scott. He's something she's never experienced before and something she thinks she's looking for.

She was hoping she'd find out weather or not she had chemistry with him the natural way. Going on dates, talking, flirting in the halls and spending time with one another and not the way that she's experienced, oh so many times; crushing on someone and then getting jealous when someone else stole him away.

Sighing to herself and setting Waldo atop her bed, Rogue was about to take a little nap, to try and ease her mind of her thoughts when she suddenly found herself being gagged and dragged out of the room and down a hall, into another room.

Everything happened so fast, she didn't know how to react to this, or more or less even think about defending herself and she only let out muffled screams until she was tossed unceremoniously into anther room and onto the floor, occupied by several other people.

After dropping her on the floor, her kidnapper pouted, looking at the people in front of him and holding out his hand. "There I did it, now where's my ten bucks?"

"Later John" came the reply of one and only Jubilation Lee as she, Kitty, John, Bobby and Warren, were sitting in various spots in the room, looking down at the one in front of them.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I should have known" she mumbled to herself, knowing that only her friends would kidnap her and bring her to another room in the mansion. "Why don't you just kill me next time for God sakes" Rogue said, getting up off the floor and dusting herself off.

"Sorry" Kitty apologized for all of them. "But we knew you wouldn't agree to come willingly" she said.

"Ya" John agreed. "And they promised me ten bucks"

Rogue rolled her eyes once more. "What do you guys want?" she asked a little annoyed. She really wasn't in the mood for their antics as she still had her mind on Scott.

"Well someone's a bit crabby today?" Angel pointed out.

"Ya well, you would be too if you were kidnapped then deposited in the middle of the floor."

"Ok seriously Rogue, build a bridge, and get over it." Jubilee said, anxious to get to the real reason why she had kidnapped her friend. "Now tell us, what happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Rogue asked dumbfounded. "I just got kidnapped by this pyromaniac here and dumped in the middle his dorm room with a bunch of my friends staring down at me like a piece of candy at a health shop" she responded. "Or have you not been paying attention in the passes three minutes"

"Ha, ha" Jubilee said sarcastically. "But seriously Rogue, dish the dirt. You can't spend like, a whole twenty-four hours with Mr. Summers and then claim that nothing happened."

"Actually Jubes, keep in mind that this is _Mr. Summers_ were talking about. And while they did sneak off in the middle of the day without any hint as to where they were going, which is strangely unusual for Mr. Summers, he's probably the _only_ man in the mansion, or in the world for that matter that you can spend a day with and nothing happens" John corrected.

"He has a point" Kitty agreed.

Rogue only rolled her eyes. "You guys don't even know him." She defended her poor ex-math teacher. "For all you know, he could have something creative up his sleeve, and you just wouldn't know about it because you never take the time to get to know him" she said. But as soon as those words left her lips she regretted them, for she knew what kind of intrigue, this defensive nature would spark.

And spark it did, as the firecracker wonder, quirked her eyebrow. "Oh really" Jubilee said, causing Rogue to slap a hand to her for head. "And you would know this because……………."

"Guys seriously, I _really_ don't want to talk about this right now." Rogue said, hopefully closing the conversation. "I know it's itching your skin to find out, but I promise, I'll tell you later. Right now I just need to…………."

"Uh-uh, you're not going anywhere!" Jubilee interrupted. "Bobby, freeze the door!" she ordered and Iceman reacted quickly, extending his arm and freezing the doorknob before Rogue got a chance to turn around and touch it.

"Hey!" she whined, getting a look at the Popsicle doorknob. "That's gonna take hours to defrost!" she said. She remembered the last time Bobby did that. They got a detention from Storm for freezing the pool and going ice-skating on it and while in the room, Bobby and Jubilee started an "Ice and firecracker war". Well due to Bobby's poor eyesight and terrible aim, he hit the doorknob with a powerful blast of ice, thus leaving him, Rogue, Jubilee, Storm, and Angel stuck in the room, for two hours until it defrosted enough to get out.

"Good" Jubilee said, triumphantly crossing her arms across her chest. "Then that'll give you plenty of time to spill, so start talking." She said.

"Ya" Kitty agreed. "How much did you _get to know_ Mr. Summers?" she quizzed. "On a friend level, on a boyfriend potential level, or on an actual boyfriend level"

Rogue blushed. "Guys!" she said.

"Ok, yea, this is more than I bargained for. Seriously guys, give me my ten bucks and I'm out of here. I really don't need to hear this sort of thing about our freaking X-men leader" John said.

"Yea, I'm with John, this is creepy" Bobby agreed.

"Oh c'mon!" Kitty said. "Everyone at this school knows that other than Logan, Mr. Summers is like the hottest thing on two legs!"

"My ears, my ears!" John wined, clasping a hand over his ears and contemplating on banging his head on the wall.

"Oh stop being such a drama queen, you know Kitty's right." Jubilee said. "Mr. Summers qualifies for drool material for both sexes, guys and girls. He's like………….a younger James bond combined with a modern Rico Suave"

"I think I'm going to hurl" Angel said, clutching his stomach as his feathers became rather ruffled.

"Anyway, aside from their over-dramatic nature, spill the beans Rogue. We all know you can touch now. So there's no way you could have gone a whole day with Mr. Summers and not have done anything"

At the mention of this, Rogue diverted her attention from leaving the room. "How did you know I could touch now?" she asked. She didn't remember mentioning it to her friends, and she was pretty sure the professor didn't say anything either.

"Well let's see, you're wearing a tank top and shorts, which you never ever do, your gloves are gone, you have tan lines from your swimsuit which is odd seeing as you never go swimming and you have hickeys going up and down your neck."

Rogue gasped and clamped a hand over her neck, running to the mirror to get a better look. "He gave me hickeys!" she wailed, running her fingers along her neck for any traces of red spots.

Jubilee smirked from behind her. She knew that line would work; she's got her now. "No he didn't give you any hickeys, I made that part up" she admitted and Rogue sighed a sigh of relief, turning around to face her friends but changing her relief to regret once again as she saw the looks on her faces.

"Now Rogue" Kitty began. "If nothing happened, then why would you be concerned about hickeys?" she asked, with a smirk present on her face as well.

Rogue blushed harder. "Well………….you know……….anyone could have given me those" she said.

"Right like who? Logan?" John asked.

A sharp sting, washed over her body at the mention of his name. Logan. The one that had crushed her heart and started this whole thing in the first place. She thought she was recovering after the passed day with Scott but it still hurt to hear his name mentioned.

"John!" Kitty scolded, seeing the hurt look on her friends face.

"Look guys" Rogue began her moods switching faster than gears on a car. "I really need to lie down. I don't feel like talking about this right now."

Just as she was about to turn around and attempt to scrape the ice off the door handle a knock was heard, coming from the other side. "John, John are you in there?" came the voice of none other than the man of subject, calling for the pyromaniac. "The professor wants to see you about…………….. Bobby is this doorknob frozen again?" he asked after his failed attempt to twist the doorknob. Bobby often froze doorknobs in his attempts for ultra privacy.

"Yea" Bobby replied sheepishly.

A muffled sigh was heard from the other side. "Stand clear" he said before using his optic blasts to blast the doorknob off the door and then pushed the door open. "That's the fourth doorknob this month, Hank is going to have a field day." He informed iceman upon entering.

Getting a look at the scene in front of him, Scott quirked an eyebrow from the small gathering wondering what, three girls and three guys were doing locked in a boys dorm room together.

"Should I be worried here?" he asked, getting a closer look and seeing Rogues pained, near tears expression.

"Oh no Mr. Summers, there's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this." Kitty said.

"Alright then" he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Start explaining"

"Uhhh……….you said the professor was calling?" John asked, trying to slip out of the room.

"Uh, uh, you stay and get to explaining"

"Well you see" Bobby began.

"What had happened was………..um………….." Angel fumbled.

"Nothing happened Scott" Rogue said, speaking up for all of them. "I swear; they were just quizzing me to see if I was ok" she lied. Scott knew this wasn't the truth solely by the expression on her face. He'd seen that face a lot lately which meant that someone in this room had mentioned Logan.

"Are you sure?" he asked, getting one final glance at everyone in the room.

"Sure" she said.

Scott sighed a heavy sigh. "Alright then. Well John, the professor wants to see you. The rest of you……………..please don't let this happen again."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Jubilee said, giving him a mock salute.

At this Scott rolled his eyes. He never knew why the yellow-clad girl insisted on referring to him as captain. "Captain out" he replied, going along with her game only for today, and beginning to head out the door. He stopped short when he reached the door-way, turning around to look at Rogue.

"Hey um Rogue, can I…….talk you for a minute."

Rogue perked up at the mention of this. A conversation with Scott versus a though about Logan would win any day. "Ya sure" she said, gathering herself and following outside the room.

The other's exchanged looks. They all knew that Scott knew the consequences of asking to speak with Rogue after their time out together, especially asking in front of a gossip columnist like Jubilee. It was no doubt that rumors were going to swarm like a hive of angry bees. But in the same sense, they felt as though Scott didn't care.

He was a changed man; although it hasn't been a long period of time since the old Scott, they could tell he was different. He didn't reprimand Rogue for calling him Scott, he accepted her half-ass excuse as to why they were locked in a room, he didn't give Bobby a long prepared speech on when to use your powers at appropriate times, and he seemed just a little bit more, relaxed then his usual uptight nature. Oh yes, Scott had changed a great deal in the passed twenty-four hours, a blind man could see it, and the kids definitely took notice.

"Hey, did you guys notice, his engagement ring was missing?" Jubilee asked.

……………………………..

Review!!!!


	9. Conversations pt 2

Of Jealousy and Love ch 9

Hey there readers!!! Ya another update right! Weeee! Lol. Well thank you for all the reviews you guys, I appreciate them as always and I love the feedback. Sorry the updates have been so scattered, like I said, High school isn't easy and it doesn't help that life at home is rough as well. But I'm getting the hang of this Growing up thing and I'm trying to balance things out.

And for the millionth time readers I am oh-so sorry about the grammatical errors. I mean I swear I read over the chapter so many times it gets to the point where I memorize each and every line, but being Native born, some words and phrases just seem to make sense to me, even though their incorrect. But like I said, I'm working on it, and I'm trying my best so try and bear with me please. But other than that, enjoy the chapter!!!

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Walking down the halls of the Xavier institute, Rogue followed Scott as he strolled mindlessly towards their unknown destination so they could "talk".

She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't happy, well it's not like she expected him to be anyway. He most likely just came back from his discussion with Jean, and that could not have turned out pretty. But then again………….

What if here suspicions were true? What if Jean had begged Scott to try and make their relationship work and he accepted. What if that grim look on his face was because he had to tell her that he and her could have nothing between them because he was fully committed to Jean?

Oh she knew it was too good to be true. She knew that Scott would fall back in love with her, the minute he was alone with her, and she was able to pull him back into her web of mind games. Rogue should have known better; she was nothing more than a mere distraction to keep him from the severe heartache. Maybe Logan was right; maybe she was just some poor sap he was pawning off of so he could get over his own depression.

To engrossed in her own thoughts, Rogue failed to notice Scott had halted in front of one of the mansions vacant suits, and she therefore continued down the hall, keeping her eyes to the floor.

It wasn't until Scott cleared his throat that she stopped walking, turning around to find him giving her a skeptical look. "Well you know, if you want to keep walking then…it's fine with me." He teased. "Just watch the sharp turns and be careful not to fall down a flight of stairs."

Rogue let go of a small smile from his cheesiness and made her way back down the hallway, entering the vacant room with him.

Closing the door, and leaning against it, Scott sighed as he looked towards the ceiling before looking at Rogue. She was giving him a worried expression, concerned for his well being as well as what exactly he had to say to her.

"What's wrong Scott?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"I just………." He began before running a hand through his hair. "I just……………wanted to check on you, you know? See if you're doing ok." That was a complete a total lie. She didn't have to have the professor's capabilities to know that.

"That's not what you wanted" she told him straight forward. "There's something else on your mind"

"There's a lot on my mind actually" he said, standing up straight and walking toward the bare mattress, sitting down and gently pulling Rogue down next to him. "I don't even know where to begin"

"_Oh God here it comes Rogue"_ she thought to herself. "_The big, "I can't do this because I'm in love with Jean". Oh just get it over with Scott, It's not like I haven't heard it before."_

"Is it bad?" she asked. "_Well duh of course it's bad, Rogue, has anything good actually happened in the passed couple of days?" _

"Well uh, it depends on how you look at it"

"_Yes I know, good for you and Jean, bad for me right?"_ she thought to herself. "Well just tell me" she said aloud. "You'll feel a lot better if you get it off your chest."

"Well there's nothing to really get off my chest Rogue, it's just well……….." "_Here it comes, brace yourself"_

"Jean and I are over"

"_I knew it! I knew it would be this way! I knew he would……….."_

"Huh?" she asked aloud. Scot raised an eyebrow from this expression. He hadn't really been expecting that sort of reaction from her. Maybe some sort of sympathy or deeper concern but not astonishment.

"You sound surprised" he noted.

"_Oops, did I say that out load?"_ Rogue thought. "Oh um….. I'm sorry Scott, I just sort of drew a blank."

Scott frowned. "So you weren't listening then?" he asked. He had this paranoia about people not listening to him. Odd as it sounds, especially coming from a teacher, he felt as though if people didn't listen to him when he spoke, he might as well be speaking to a wall.

"No, no, I was listening, it's just…………." Rogue sighed readjusting herself on the mattress and looking down to the floor, a little embarrassed now, for confessing such a thing to him. "It's just that, I thought you wanted to talk to me about not seeing me anymore."

"What?" even more confusion displayed on his face.

"Well I just had this itchy feeling that when you were in there talking with Jean, you guys were working things out and starting over and doing all those other things couples in rocky situations do. And well, to be honest with you Scott, I was kind of jealous. I mean, Jean has everything she wants, I mean like _everything_, and I have close to nothing. And after that whole Logan incident well, I thought I sort of found something in you, you know? Like a comfort, a shield, a protector, a something. And I don't want to let go of that. I like hanging out with you Scott, you're fun to be around."

It was silent for a moment before Scott replied, "Wow". That's all he could say after he just absorbed the information he just received. He didn't think Rogue would be feeling all that she was feeling about him in such a short period of time. Not even three days ago, she had been in love with the Wolverine and now here she was, completely redirecting her feelings and claiming a likeness for Scott.

He couldn't believe it. She said he was fun to be around. Scott was always getting teased about being "anal" and "paranoid" and never knowing when to loosen up and have a good time. But here Rogue was, confessing to him that he was actually a pleasure to be around. It was strange to as she was the one who dubbed him the least likely teacher to have fun with on a field trip in the passed yearbook. Oh how the tides have turned; and turned quickly.

But oddly enough, he couldn't say that he opposed to the changes. It gave him a sense of reprieve, almost, to hear Rogue say something like that. He didn't know why he was worried because he was sure that if she didn't like him she wouldn't be spending any time with him, but just to hear her confess her jealousy over Jean and admit that she actually enjoyed being around him, gave him a new feeling inside.

Pride? Egotistic? Confusion? Happiness? He didn't know what the feeling was but he liked it. He liked the feedback he was getting from her, because all in all, Scott was feeling the same.

He would have to admit, Rogue was defiantly a pleasure to be around as well. Her spontaneous nature, charisma and moxy, was a complete 180 from what he was used to with Jean. She was so adventurous, so full of life, and yet so innocent at the same time, it was like he could share one of every type of characteristic with her, and it would all be ok.

At the mention of innocence though, the thought that Rogue had just turned eighteen two days ago, and the fact that she was a former student of his no less, did cross his mind occasionally, but, then he thought about how much fun it was to be around her, or how much he loved to see that smile on her face, or hear that southern drawl. All of those concerns just seemed to melt away when he thought about everything that was so enticing about her. And he we pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

Turning to look at her and get a little feedback on her emotions (as he just had a long period of thinking time to himself), Scott found that Rogue was giving him a hopeful yet, awaiting stare, as if she was expecting a little more of an explanation other than, "Wow".

"Uh…….what I mean to say is……." He stumbled, trying to recover himself.

Rogue pushed her look forward, still waiting for a reply.

Scott sighed. He scooted a little closer to her on the mattress and took her hand in his, looking into her eyes. "Rogue, what I meant was, I'm glad you feel that way because……….I feel the same way to."

Her eyes brightened at the mention of this and she replied, "Really?" before turning down her eagerness a notch as she realized just how embarrassing showing that much enthusiasm was.

Scott only chuckled at her reaction. "Yes really" he said. "I know this sounds really corny but, through all this……….mess that's been going on, you've been my silver lining on my gray cloud, and I've could never be more thankful for that. I don't want to loose what I found in you either Rogue" he confessed and Rogue absolutely melted.

Never in all her eighteen years of living could she recall someone ever saying something as sweet as what Scott had just said to her. (Even if it was corny) Sure she had heard some pretty sweet things, but they all frowned in comparison to this as Scott had said it with real meaning and with a substantial explanation behind it. Not because it was Valentines Day, or their Anniversary like she had received in the past, but because the two were facing some serious hardships, and he had wanted to be there for her.

"Oh Scott" Rogue said, blushing furiously at her loss for words. She didn't know what to say after someone had just told her something so sweet. "That's probably the sweetest thing, anyone has ever said to me."

Now it was Scott's turn to blush. "Oh stop" he said. "I'm sure you've heard better from someone else" he replied sheepishly.

"No, I haven't" Rogue said. "I really, really haven't up until now"

Now Scott grinned. "Well, I should feel special then huh?" he asked, his corniness once again lightening the mood.

Rogue smiled along with him. "You really should."

"Hmm, I should get an award" he added, puffing out his chest like he was some grand superhero.

Rogue giggled, leaning over him and popping a quick kiss on his lips, then settling back in her spot to see his reaction.

It took a moment for Scott to register the kiss as his chest deflated and a confused expression displayed on his face, before he grinned, realizing that he enjoyed that little surprise peck on the lips. Turning to her Scott said, "So that's my reward?"

Rogue nodded. "Yep"

"I don't know Rogue" he began. "I mean it takes a lot of work to cheer you up. I mean really, it just takes so much effort that by the end of our little talks, I just feel so drained. I'm not sure, one little kiss will cover all the work that's been put in."

Rogue chuckled now, leaning over and kissing him once more, this time with a little more depth and a little more length.

"There" she said once she pulled away. "That better?"

"Uh-uh" Scott said before meeting her lips once more, pulling her even closer to him and entangling his hand in her hair.

Things started getting steamy just like that fateful birthday night and the kisses were moving from lips to neck to shoulders to ear lobes to jaw to lips once again and the couple were doing a little more than just tangling hands in each other's hair. Hands were beginning to roam across each other's bodies and under clothing, wanting to feel each other's soft sweet skin.

Eventually, Scott had leaned Rogue over so the small of her back was in the palm of his hand and he carefully laid her on the bed, crawling on top of her. Rogue hadn't even realized that he had done so as she was so lost in his kisses and it wasn't until she felt him tugging on her shirt that red lights and sirens started going off in her head, causing her to break the kiss and sit upwards.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" she began, while trying to catch her breath and readjust her clothing. "Scott I like you and everything but, this is going a little to fast don't you think? I mean it's only been two days and………….."

"Ya, you're right, you're right" he interrupted, attempting to catch his breath as well. Scott could slap himself for being so stupid and allowing his hormones to take over. It wasn't like him to be so forward but when he was with Rogue he seemed to loose all his common sense and let his heart take over. And unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, his heart was in some place it shouldn't be, which lead him to do what he did.

"Rogue look, I'm sorry I should have thought before I…………."

"No, no, don't worry about it." She said, stopping his guilt trip before it started. She knew Scott and knew he didn't mean to push so far. He was a gentleman and would never take advantage of her, he must have just lost a little control for a brief moment which is reasonable because she didn't expect _any_ man to _never_ have sex on his mind at one point. "You were caught up in the moment. I can't say I wasn't either but it's just good that we stopped when we did" she said.

Scott smiled. She mentioned earlier how he knew what to say when she was feeling hurt and yet he realized that she always knew how to stop him from feeling guilty about the small stuff.

Pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his strong arms around her, Scott asked, "Why are you always so optimistic?"

Rogue giggled. "It's a talent" she replied. "Not everyone can do it"

Scott chuckled along with her. "Well keep it up cause' you're good at it." He said and she threw him a wink.

"I'll try to remember"

"So" he sighed eyes beginning to roam around the room in search for a change of subject. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well…….." she said, checking her watch. "It's the early afternoon and I'm getting kinda' hungry then I'm about due for a midday nap, so let's say we rustle up some grub and then snuggle up under the covers and sleep the afternoon away"

"Do you do this every afternoon?"

Rogue smiled proudly. "Yep, very productive isn't it?"

Scott shook his head in shame. He never understood why people could spend so much time sleeping during the day but after reviewing all that's happened since he came home, lunch and a nap didn't sound to bad.

"Yes very productive" he responded, popping a quick kiss on her lips.

"So what do you say? Sound like an idea?"

"Sure does. A very, very good idea"

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	10. Jealousy

Of Jealousy and Love ch 10

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Another morning and another odd breakfast worth mentioning at Xavier's. Once again, both X-men and X-men trainees, were situated around the table in silence, tension rather than worriment looming in the air.

Scott and Rogue sat on one side, while Logan and Jean sat on the other, each couple pretending to eat their food as if they hadn't a care in the world and yet still stealing glares at one another when the other couple wasn't looking.

It was no doubt that Rouge and Scott were still furious with Logan and Jean and Logan and Jean were still partly furious and partly confused on how to react. They were still regretful of their past actions and yet as time went on their suspicions on the relationship between Rogue and Scott were growing.

Meanwhile everyone else at the table who were seemingly stuck in the crossfire remained silent, not even bothering to start up a conversation after Angel's attempt the other day.

A few minutes more of silence and tired of hearing nothing but chewing and forks clanging against the plates, Pyro decided to give it a try. "Rogue can you pass the eggs please?" he asked. Sure it was a lame attempt, almost lamer than Storms attempt the other day but it might have started something.

"Sure" she said still keeping her eyes on Jean and Logan and handing the eggs over to John.

"Thanks" he said accepting the bowl and pouring a little food on his plate. He set it down near him and decided to give the conversation another try. "So uh, anybody have any plans today? I'm bored"

"Well uh, me and Kitty were going to go to the movies, wanna come?" Bobby asked, quick to say something to avoid the silence.

"Nah, I don't favor watching two people make out all day." He declined. "Anyone else"

"You can help Me, Storm and Warren paint the new children's rec. room" Jubilee said. "We can always use the extra hands"

"Nah" he declined once more. "Paintings not really my thing"

Goodness gracious getting a word out of these people was so damn difficult. Everyone was so damn reticent and it made him want to puke. John was never one for awkward silences; as a matter of fact he was never one for silences at all. He was always into loud, unruly noises, and if that failed then he'd always resort to mischief, just to get a scream or a yell from somebody.

Which was what he was about to do now. If they wouldn't talk, then he'd make them talk; even if he had to jump up on the table naked. Ok so maybe jumping up on the table naked was to extreme so instead John's creative mind decided that he'd _accidentally _hit a sore spot of one of the tables members and see if that would strike up any conversation. Well not really conversation more like confrontation as it would probably start a brawl between the tables members but hey, he was willing to do anything to stop the madness. After all confrontation is the key right?

Reading his former student like a book the professor cautioned the pyromaniac telepathically. "_Don't you even think about it John"_ he warned. "_Leave them alone"_

"_What?"_ John defended. _"I'm not doing anything"_

"_I know what you're up to and I'm warning you, leave them alone, or you'll be scrubbing the bathroom floors for a week."_.

"_Oh c'mon professor, I'm 18 years old now, and I'm in college, don't you think I'm a little to old for punishments?"_

"Try me" 

John sighed, pouting in his chair. So much for confrontation; leave it up to a telepath to ruin his fun.

"So uh, Rogue" the professor said aloud. "Would you like to help Storm and the others paint the children's room. Like Jubilee said, they can always use the extra hands"

Rogue inwardly pouted as she planned to spend more time with Scott today but she figured that any time away from Logan would suffice. "Sure" she replied with a smile. "I'd love to."

"Wonderful" Charles replied. "I'm sure, Ororo will fill you in on the details"

"I can't wait" she said.

Across from her, Logan scoffed, keeping his eyes one his plate and continuing to eat his food while mumbling just load enough for everybody to hear, "I'm surprised you don't have any plans with Scooter today"

Jean lightly scolded him with a sharp, "Logan!" while Scott chose to ignore him and Rogue paused from her eating to address this.

She was so mad at him she took everything as a challenge. Especially since she felt that he had no right to be angry in the first place.

"What is your problem?" she asked dropping her fork on her plate.

"Me? Problem? I have no idea what you're talking about."

From his spot at the table John grinned. It looked as though they didn't need his help for confrontation after all.

"Oh cut the innocent act Logan, really, it's getting old."

"Look who's talking"

Rogue fumed. Was he trying to embarrass her? What was his problem? "What so because I spend one day away from "daddy dearest", suddenly I'm not innocent anymore?"

"No because you turned 18 and all of a sudden you think you're the most responsible, adult thing in the world, that makes you not so innocent anymore"

"What is that it?" she asked. "You have a problem with my growing up? Oh get over yourself Logan; life goes on. People have to grow up and get older, it's the natural order of things, or did you seem to forget that?"

"Oh wait but I'm not finished." He responded sarcastically. "See it's not only thinking that you're some high and mighty adult but it's also your spending a night with _him_ at a hotel the other night and then spending last night with said prick in a vacant room in the mansion that makes you not so innocent anymore. Or did you seem to forget that?"

Rogue glared daggers at him while Scott dropped his fork, having enough of this and everyone else in the room sat there with their jaws to the floor. They all knew that Scott and Rogue spent the day together but they never knew all of _that._ This put a whole new twist on things.

"You did what!?" Jean exclaimed, finally stopping from eating her food and jumping into the conversation.

"Listen this is none of your business alright so just but out will you!" Scott addressed to the both of them.

"What the hell do you mean none of my business! You spend two nights alone in a room with an eighteen year old girl and it's none of my business!" Jean yelled. "Scott what the hell has gotten into you!"

"He's a damn hypocrite that's what's gotten into him" Logan responded.

"Oh hypocrite?" Cyclops asked. "You wanna talk hypocritical? Ok well explain to me how the hell your sitting here complaining about where Rogue and I were the other day and moaning and groaning about your God dammed suspicions about what's going on between us and in the mean time you're screwing the brains out of my ex-fiancé. Does that sound hypocritical to you?"

"Ex-fiancé?" Jubilee whispered to herself. Oh man she was really getting juicy stuff here.

"No what sounds hypocritical to me is you sitting here crying like a little bitch over someone cheating on you and no more than two days later you go and form a relationship with someone else!" he yelled. "And a former student of yours no less. She's only a girl summers, what kind of sick bastard are you!"

"I'm not a little girl!" Rogue yelled. "And so what if I have formed a relationship with Scott! What's it to you Logan!"

"Stay away from him kid, he's bad news"

"Logan I'm not your dammed property! You can't tell me what to do with my life!"

Logan let go of a frustrated groan. "Why the hell are you so got dammed hard-headed. I'm looking out for your own interest."

"Your looking out for your own interest Logan!" Scott butted in. "Because for some ludicrous reason, you can't seem to handle not having every woman you come across, falling head over heels for you. Leave her alone!"

"Stay out of this Scooter!" Logan growled. "And as for you kid, I don't want you around this tight-ass anymore, understood?"

Now it was Rogue's turn to scoff. "I don't believe this" she said. "You're jealous" she concluded.

"What!"

"Your jealous that Scott and I are spending time together and you're jealous that I've gotten over you."

"That's insane I—"

"No what's insane is that you are a walking, talking hypocrite, and then you go around and blame everyone else for your mistakes and your consequences, because you can't get over your own damn pride."

"What the hell are you talking about kid?"

"I'm talking about me getting over you Logan. You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me and the only woman in your life is Jean. So you know what, you finally got what you wanted. You have Jean, and I'm over you. So get over yourself."

And with that she walked away.

"Oh this is better than daytime television!" Pyro cried.

"Shut-up John!" everyone yelled.

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About two hours later once the tension from breakfast calmed down, Rogue was up in her room, furiously punching the crap out of poor Waldo to try and blow off some steam. She couldn't believe that Logan was such a jealous little prick, and it made her angry to see him trying to control her life.

All this time she wondered why he was so objective to her being with Scott and now she knew. He was jealous. That filthy dog was jealous.

She couldn't believe it; she just couldn't believe it. All these years she was fighting for his attention and it takes her to be heartbroken and turning to his arch nemesis for comfort to finally have it. It was insane!

She could hardly grasp the concept. He was jealous, he was jealous, Logan was jealous. No matter how many times she said it, it was still hard to believe. Logan was jealous which meant that he had wanted her.

After all the tears, all the waiting, all the secret crushes, dreams and fantasies, Logan had wanted her.

She didn't know what to do about it, how to react, how to feel. Did she want him back? Had she meant what she said? Was she really over him?

She didn't know. Logan was with Jean now, but could it be possible that he made a mistake? Did he really want to be with her?

And what about Scott? They had both confessed that they wanted to be with one another not even shy of twenty-four hours ago, and Rogue was growing quite fond of him. She liked Scott; she liked him a lot. And even though she was mad at Logan, she liked him too.

So who should she go for? The man who she's loved for years on end and is now vying for her attention? Or the man who she's found comfort and happiness in?

She didn't know. And the confusion was making her even more upset so she continued to punch the bear.

It was then that Jubilee walked in, seeing her throwing punch after punch on poor Waldo and the sight of it made the Asian-American girl frown. "Jeez vengeance much" she comment, watched Rogue still pound the crap out of the bear. "Why don't you let it out in the danger room, at least no one will get harmed that way"

At the mention of this Rogue paused from beating up the bear and thought to herself for a moment before heading to the danger room without so much as a thank you to her roommate.

"Your Welcome" Jubilee called after, nodding her head in shame and turning to the bear. "You poor thing"

……………………………..

Rogue anxiously reached the locker room in a matter of 3 minutes flat, stripping off all her clothes and changing into her workout clothes, then heading over to the danger room.

She set the control panel to level three, deciding to start off easy then work her way into it and just was she was about to walk inside, a masculine voice stopped her in her tracks.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she rolled her eyes. Just her luck. Of course _he _would come down here at the same time she did; go figure.

Rogue turned to find none other than the almighty Wolverine approaching her, apparently wanting to blow off some of his own steam by way of his work out clothes. No shirt, sweat pants and a pair of sneakers; absolutely gorgeous.

No wait, what was she thinking, she was made at him, she didn't like him! "_Think angry thoughts Rogue, think angry thoughts!"_ she scolded herself.

"What do you want?" she asked aloud, attempting to hide her weak side from him.

"I want to know what you're doing?" he asked now within one foot in front of her.

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're about to kill yourself, level three? That's way to hard for you kid, you might want to turn it down a notch."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Why do you always treat me like I'm some little girl?"

"I don't"

"_Level three? That's way to hard for you kid, you might want to turn it down a notch"_ she mimicked and Logan chuckled.

"Can I help it if I'm trying to help you avoid getting your face smashed in?"

"I don't want your help"

"You never do, and yet I still come flying to the rescue. I wonder why that is"

By now Logan was even closer to her and Rogue was getting nervous. "_Don't let him win Rogue, don't let him win! Think angry thoughts!"_

"You know I'm still mad at you"

"As am I." he replied. "You and your boyfriend calling me out in front of everyone doesn't exactly put me in a good mood"

"He's not my boyfriend, and you deserved it." Why did she suddenly feel the need to make that point clear? This is not going well.

Unluckily for Rogue, Logan seemed to pick up on what she said. "Oh so he's not your boyfriend? I don't know, you seemed pretty defensive about him at the table this morning."

"I was defensive about a lot of things" "_You're going the wrong way Rogue! Wrong way!"_

"Hmm what ever you say"

Rogue glared. She hated his tone. He was so sarcastic and he always managed to make it seem like he was winning every argument.

"So are you going to move out of my way or what?"

"I think I'll take the or what"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "What now Logan you already—" she was cut off by his sweet lips coming crashing down on hers and pulling her into a hardy kiss.

At first Rogue was flabbergasted, to stunned for any type of reaction. Logan was kissing her! Her all time crush was kissing her! Gee Wow did it feel good. So, so good. But then her brain grab held of her emotions and shook them into place so she tried pushing him off her.

She had to admit, kissing Logan felt ten times better than she had ever imagined as his lips were soft yet plump and he knew how to hit all the right nerves in all the right way. He wasn't as soft and gentle as Scott was. As a matter of fact, he was down right rough as she had thought he would be. But it wasn't a sloppy type rough; it was a smooth, hungry, animalistic type rough that could drive any girl wild.

But this was wrong, this was wrong on so many levels, and therefore Rogue tried to push him off.

Try of course was the key word as Logan was far stronger than she was and the intensity of his kiss was hard to resist.

Seemingly though, today God was not on Rogue's side as the little heated moment of passion was interrupted and interrupted by the worst person ever to pick that exact moment to step into the danger room area.

"What's this?" came the voice of an utterly stunned Scott as he just caught sight of the two in a lip lock.

Both paused from what they were doing, breaking the kiss and briefly looking at each other with a guilty expression before Logan turned to Scott smirking and Rogue looked at the floor in shameful regret.

"Shit"

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Review peeps!


	11. Happy Boy and Happy Girl

Of Jealousy and Love ch 11

Hey there readers! I haven't been leaving you little messages in a long while. Lol. But any way thanks for the reviews guys I really appreciate the feedback. And I'm sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter but I just had to do it. But don't worry, no cliffhanger in this one, but you might need a box of Puffs for the beginning part. Any ways, read and review!

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"Am I interrupting something?" Scott asked nodding in shame as he watched the two, Rogue still attempting to pull away from Logan.

"Yes actually you are, so I suggest you scram twerp" Wolverine shot back and Scott only scoffed, throwing Rogue a look of dismay before walking in the other direction.

"Scott wait!" Rogue called after him still attempting to get free from Logan's grasp. Oh this was not good. This was so not good. If only he had really known what had happened, then he would understand. "Scott!" she called again. "Scott wait please…………..Logan let me go!" she cried finally getting free of his grasp and about to chase after him but again Logan held her back, this time by her arm.

"Forget about him kid, he's a looser." He said before going to adjust the controls on the gravity room.

Rogue gave him an unbelievable look. How could he act so nonchalant? He just got caught kissing her, wasn't he afraid Scott was going to tell Jean? And why would he tell Scot that he was interrupting something? He just got busted, shouldn't he be trying to fix things?

"Logan how could you……………." Suddenly it all made sense to her. The little bastard planned this! He knew Scott was coming behind him so he kissed her! He only wanted to ruin their relationship; he didn't care about her!

Suddenly her franticness to find Scott turned to rage and tears began pouring out her eyes. Things were going downhill and going fast. "You asshole!" she cried shoving him as hard as she could. "How could you!"

"What the? How could I what!?"

"You planned this didn't you Logan! Didn't you!" she scolded, pointing an angry finger at him. "You knew Scott was coming so you kissed me on purpose!"

"Look kid I only—"

"Answer the question!" she yelled. "You did all this on purpose didn't you! You just wanted to break us apart!"

"Look kid, I had to do what I had to do alright. Scooter's a prick you don't deserve a guy like him ok, so just calm down and………"

"No I don't believe you!" she cried. Now tears were uncontrollably pouring down her face and she was going into pure hysteria. Everything she said was coming out from behind chokes and tears as she couldn't believe how fast things turned ugly. Logan had ruined it; he had ruined everything for her. He had broken her heart, he had constantly fought with her out of jealousy and now he was destroying her relationship with Scott, her only happiness.

"How could you do this to me?! How could you do that Logan, now you wrecked my relationship with Scott"

"I had to, it was the only way Rouge. He's a prick and you're to good for him."

"No, you're the prick! You used me! You……..you….you played with my emotions, you took advantage of me when I was vulnerable………you did everything that you accused Scott of and he's the real good guy, I don't believe you!"

"Listen kid, just calm down and—"

"No get away from me!" she said shoving him away with as much force as she could. This time the push was hard enough to knock him back a couple feet and into the wall, which ultimately left Logan stunned. "Don't you ever come near me again Logan! Ever! Just stay away from me!"

"Rogue you're over reacting"

"No! Leave me the hell alone!" she yelled before turning around and taking off down the hallway. She had to find Scott, she had to find Scott and fix this mess. One time this week was enough to be heartbroken she didn't need it again.

Rogue couldn't believe herself. She couldn't believe that she had fell for Logan and his tricks, she couldn't believe that she had ruined what she had with Scott. How could she destroy everything so fast? It hadn't even been 5 minutes and now look where she was.

So focused on finding Scott and explaining the situation to him, Rogue didn't even see him standing there, leaning on the wall when she rounded the corner. She kept running down the hallway until Scott called out her name and that's when she whipped around to face him and gave him the most regretful look Scott has ever seen in his entire life.

And Scott had seen his fare share of regretful looks, but this one really took the cake. Tears were streaming down her face which happened to be as red as a tomato, she was sobbing uncontrollably, her cute little button nose was as stuffy and red and her eyes were puffy yet sorrowful, full of tears but still displaying an expression that said, "Scott I'm sorry"

After seeing her this way, even with his prior knowledge, Scott knew she was sorry. He knew the whole thing must have been an accident.

"Scott" she praised running up to him and feeling as though she had to get down on her knees and beg for forgiveness. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to………….and he tricked me……….and I couldn't…………I'm sorry Scott, I'm sorry"

Scott only gave her a look of sympathy and without any questions, comments or replies, cupped her cheeks with his hands and brought her face to hers, kissing her over and over repeatedly. "It's ok, it's ok, I forgive you" he said kissing her again. "I forgive you."

Rogue still cried, repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again between kisses while Scott repeated, "It's ok" over and over again and when he finally brought her within eye level he told her. "I heard the whole thing Rogue, I was right here, it's ok. I believe you."

Rogue gave him a small sad smile. Thank God Scott was so understanding; never quick to judge a situation by first look. "I'm still sorry" she apologized. "I shouldn't have fallen for his tricks and is shouldn't have kissed him and I tried to pull him off, honestly I did but I couldn't and I'm sorry Scott, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry………" she rambled but Scott silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Shhhh, shhhh, shhhhh, it's ok Rogue, it's ok. I believe you and I forgive you" he said, replacing his finger with another kiss. "It's alright"

"I'll never do it again Scott" Rogue promised, now embracing him in a tight hug. "I swear, I'll never do it again."

"It's ok Rogue, it's ok"

Still in his comforting arms Rogue cried. Thankfully she had gotten him back but it still scared her that she had come so close to loosing him. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she lost him and she swore to herself right there at that exact moment that she would never come close to loosing him again. Ever, ever, ever; Scott was hers.

………………………………

Later on that afternoon, Scott and Rogue were found in the same vacant suit from last night, Rogue lying in Scott's arms on the bed snuggled up to his chest, while Scott leaned on the bed frame and used his free hand to stroke her hair.

Rogue has long since calmed down and since then she has apologized to Storm, Jubilee and Warren for not being able to help them paint since she wasn't feeling well, and she joined Scott in the vacant suit just to be with him and lye in his arms.

She felt attached to him. Ever since the incident a few days ago and especially after what happened earlier today she just didn't want to let go of him, she wanted to be with him all day long. And in turn he was attached to her for the same reason's she was and like her, Scott wanted to be with her all day long. He didn't want to let go of her and he'd be damned if he let Logan ever use her like that again.

As the movie they were watching finished up on the Tv, Scott sighed looking down at her and she gazed back up at him.

"I'm hungry" he stated.

Rogue giggled. "Ya I know, I've heard your stomach rumbling for the passed half hour"

Scott chuckled as well. "I think I need some lunch"

"Ya me too"

"But I don't feel like going in the kitchen"

"Ya me too"

"Jean or Logan is probably in there"

"You've never been more right" Rogue said with an eye roll.

"Think Storm will bring food for us?"

"Maybe when pigs fly"

Scott chuckled. "So what do we do?"

She thought about it for a moment, putting on that cute little thinking face of hers and then looking back at Scott with an answer. "Starve to death?" she asked rather than replied.

"I've got a better idea" he said pulling his car keys out of his pocket and dangling them in the air.

Rogue's face brightened. "Oh I am so in" she said hopping up off the bed. She was just about to pull him with her until she caught sight of her clothes. She hadn't changed from her training clothes and was in no way suitable to go out to lunch. "Aw, I have to change" she pouted.

"It's only lunch Rogue, no where fancy" Scott said, getting up from off the bed.

"Ya but still, it's weird, just let me change first" she said

"Alright, alright, you go get changed and I'll tell the professor where were going before we get chewed out again. Then we'll meet in the garage"

"Sounds like a plan"

……………………………………

Rogue finished changing and dolling herself up in a matter of twenty minutes and as she made her way to the garage she met up with Scott who was also on his way over.

"Well, well, you clean up nice" he commented and Rogue smiled. She was only wearing a plain blue polo shirt with jeans, ballet flats and a matching headband but it was nice of him to comment.

"Thanks" she said. "And that was a rather long notice to the professor" she said. "I was in my room for about twenty minutes"

"Oh I now but we were briefly discussing other things" he said nonchalantly, as they rounded another corner.

Rogue eyed him suspiciously; Scott said that with a little too much leisure. "What other things?"

"Oh you know just X-men stuff, no biggie" he replied as he opened the door to the garage for her.

"Alright, if you say so"

Walking through the door and a little further into the garage, Rogue was just about to ask Scott which car they were taking when she spotted the man she loathed, sitting in the corner of the garage that contained Scott's bikes, tuning one of them up.

He paused from what he was doing when he heard her come in and turned to give her one of those sarcastic smiles of his.

Rogue wanted nothing more than to smack that smile right off his face but instead she drew closer to Scott for his protection.

Scott noticed her sudden pause in conversation and change in attitude and just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he spotted Logan sitting at the other side of the garage with one of his bikes.

Scott's face shifted into an immediate frown. "What are you doing?" he asked, contemplating on blasting his fingers off to finally keep him away from his bikes; and possibly Rogue too. Scott wrapped his arm around Rogue's waist, suddenly feeling the possessive need washing over his body and when Logan caught sight of this he chuckled.

"Rigging your wheels so they fall off the next time you ride you bike" Logan shot back. "What the hell does it look like I'm doing idiot? Your bike needs and oil change and a tune up so I'm giving it one."

"I didn't ask you to"

"You don't ask me to do a lot of things and I do them any way"

"And yet here we are"

Logan only gave him a "no duh" look before rolling his eyes and focusing back on the bike. "You know you don't have to be so possessive Scooter, I won't steal her from you"

Scott's grip around her waist tightened. "How can I be so sure, after you stole Jean I have no reason to trust you anymore"

"I didn't steal Jean from you prick, she _came_ to me. I can't help it if I'm irresistible"

Scott snorted. "Don't be so sure of yourself"

"Oh I am" Logan replied casually. "After screwing your fiancé the other night and kissing your little girlfriend this morning, I have all the conformation I need."

That was it; Scott has had enough. Lifting up his shades, he let a brief optic blast escape from his eyes and fly across the garage, shooting the wrench right out of Logan's hand.

Logan was to say the least stunned, for a few more millimeters and that would have been his finger.

He turned to glare at Scott who only had a satisfied smirk on his face from his accuracy, precision and revenge for that little comment of his. "Next time I won't miss" he said clear as day, leading Rogue to his blue sports car. "C'mon Rogue"

………………………………

The two wound up going to a little Italian restaurant in the city, the both of them barely striking up much of a conversation since the incident in the garage.

While Rogue sat in the car, beginning to re-mope about the situation this morning and how she allowed herself to fall for Logan's tricks, Scott was growing angrier and angrier with Logan as the minutes went by.

There was absolutely nothing he liked about the man; he hadn't liked him from day one and since then his feelings about him have only been growing more and more hateful. The man was an absolute jerk, he was only concerned with himself and what he wanted and it seemed he'd do anything to get it.

It really burned Scott's muffins to see a guy who's been offered a place to stay and a welcoming family to be apart of at no cost to him, come stomping in, raining on everyone's parade and demanding that things go his way. And if his demands weren't met, then he'd go by force. Honestly how rude can you be? Logan should be in his knees in debt to them for offering him such kindness; especially to Ororo and himself because if Scott remembered correctly they were the ones who saved his life.

Scott thought about this the whole way and Rogue in turn wallowed in her regret and it took until the waiter left with their drink orders for Rogue to finally say something.

"He's a bastard"

Scott looked up from his menu confused. "Well hell Rogue I know he didn't give us the nicest of welcome's but don't you think that's a little extreme?"

It took awhile for Rogue to comprehend what he was talking about. "What…………….oh no, not the waiter, I was talking about Logan"

"Oh" Scott piped; that made a lot more sense. "Oh" he said again, the thoughts about Logan now kicking in. "You're just now getting that vibe?" he asked.

"No" she admitted. "I felt it before, but I think I was just to focused on getting him to like me I sort of ignored it. But now it's crystal clear, he's a jerk"

"Amen"

Rogue sighed. "I'm sorry Scott, I'm totally killing the mood here, we should be happy" she said fixating her posture so it looked more lively and taking a look at her menu.

"For what?" Scott asked. For the passed couple of days it really seemed as though they had nothing to be happy for. They're whole world was crashing all around them.

Rogue had to ponder this for a moment. "Uhhhhh……….our health?" she asked.

Scott snickered. "Well can't argue with you there" he said.

Now Rogue laughed. What a poor excuse, she honestly could've come up with something better. "Ok well, how about the new children's rec. room, now you won't have to hear the constant fights between watching _Barney_ or _MTV_."

"You're getting warmer" he said.

"Uhhhhh, the great weather we're having?"

Scott laughed again. "Almost there"

"The new silverware Storm bought?"

"No silly" Scott said taking her hand in his. "How about us being together?"

Rogue grinned. Ok that was defiantly an excuse for their being happy. "That one will work" she said.

Scott laughed again; Rogue was such a silly girl.

The waiter unfortunately chose this moment to interrupt the little sentimental vibe they had going on and place their drinks on the table causing the two to break their hands apart and thank the server gracefully.

"Are you ready to order now?" he asked.

Placing their individual orders with the man in front of them, the young boy took a few moments to jot it all down before taking up their menus, flashing a smile and heading back to the kitchen.

"Boy do people know how to wreck a good moment" Rogue commented, taking a sip of her drink.

"I'll say, he couldn't have had better timing"

Rogue grinned.

A brief pause of silence dropped between the two as they both took time to enjoy the refreshments that were set in front of them before Scott decided to speak up. "Hey Rogue, uhh, I've been meaning to tell you something" he confessed, setting his drink on the table.

Rogue perked her ears at this. "Is it something bad?"

"Oh, no, no, nothing bad" he said.

"Oh, ok then, I'm all ears" she said, setting down her lemonade and giving him her undivided attention.

"Well uh, you see, in the professor's office today, I wasn't exactly talking to him about X-men business"

Rogue grinned. "I figured so. I've never known X-men business to last 20 minuets." Scott gave her a sheepish smile. "So what were you talking to him about?"

"You"

"Me?"

"Yes you?"

"What were you talking about me for?"

"Well I was asking him if you could move in with me?"

"Move in with you?"

"Ya"

Rogue quirked an eyebrow. "Ok you lost me here Scott. Last I checked we both lived in the mansion"

"Ya I know that but you know for the passed couple days I've been pretty much room-less and I've been spending most of my time in my office or in that vacant suit on the east side of the staff's corridor. I talked to the professor about it and he said I was welcome to move in if I wanted and then I asked him if it would be alright if you moved in with me"

"And what did he say?"

"He said the decision is all yours, you're far to old for him to be making decisions for you"

Rogue smiled. "God a girl turns 18 not shy of three days ago and suddenly she's too old?" she asked while chuckling and Scott joined her in merriment. Once again Rogue, silly girl.

"So what do you say?"

Rogue put on her cute little thinking face again, tapping her chin with her finger. "I dunno. I mean I've never shared a room with you before Scott and who knows what weird and disgusting habits you might have"

Scott gave her a dry look. "This is me you're talking about here ok; the king of cleanliness. I mean I organize my sock drawer for crying out loud"

Rogue laughed, Scott had a point; he was the King of clean. "You organize you're sock drawer?"

"By alphabetical color coordination. It's kind of sad actually"

She laughed again. "You have more than one sock color?" she asked.

"Ya, black socks for my suits, navy socks for my slacks, white socks for training, and red socks just cuz"

By now Rogue was cracking up. The man really was a character. "Oh man, I would have never believed it" she said.

"Alright, alright, don't wet yourself, I'm trying to be sentimental here. Now can we please drop the sock subject and get back on point?"

Rogue giggled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she said calming down from her laughter. "So um ya, where was I?"

"Weird and disgusting habits?"

"Oh yes, now see you also have this thing for tossing and turning in the bed and well I don't know if you've noticed Scott but you're a pretty muscular guy and we'll, I'm darn near skin and bones. One wrong turn at night and you can crush me to death."

"Rogue" Scott groaned.

" Ok, ok I'm just teasin', I'm just teasin'" she said before he could complain anymore. "Of course I'll move in with you" she grinned leaning over the table and planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

Scott returned the favor. "Yay, I'm a happy boy" he said.

Rogue gently tousled his hair. "Good cause I'm a happy girl"

…………………………………

Aww so sweet, review!!!


	12. No Dobuts

Of Jealousy and Love ch 12

Hey there readers! Another addition to this lovely story, which you adore so much! Hooray! Lol.

Well this chapter I'm not too sure about, it was written over a couple times and still didn't come out the way I want it, but I hope you like it. A lot of fluff and a lot of kissing so, get you hearts and gear and don't forget to click that pretty little purple button at the end.

……………………………….

It has been two weeks since Scott asked Rogue to move in with him and since then, things have been going rather well for the couple. They were spending more and more time together as the days went on and were only growing more and more fond of each other.

Since it was summer vacation, both had all the free time in the world, (except the occasional baby-sitting duty) and they spent 95 percent of that free time with each other and the other 5 percent thinking about one another. They've been on countless outings to the city for dinners, lunches, breakfasts, mall trips, walks through the park, and even simple errands for the professor.

They stayed up late chatting until they couldn't keep their eyelids open anymore and they constantly flirted with one another, in the halls, during breaks on X-men training, in the kitchen, at the table, almost anywhere.

It was needless to say that Rogue and Scott were becoming very serious.

As for Logan and Jean well, although the couple was bonding as well in a manner similar to Rogue and Scott, the tension between the love square was forever growing.

For the past two weeks, the couples seemed to ignore each other for the most part but some things were inevitable such as breakfast, dinner, or X-men meetings and trainings when they all had to be together. But other than that, the four steered clear from each other.

Logan was still as jealous as ever and his little adamentium skull was still looking for ideas to break Rogue and Scott apart and Jean was still regretful and still in awe that this thing was going on as long as it did.

Jean had to admit, when she first found out about Scott spending two nights alone in a hotel room with Rogue she was a little shocked; that didn't sound like Scott at all. But she figured, under the circumstances, Scott would be a little out of character and do just about anything to gain a little buoyancy. After all she was the love of his life and she had crushed his poor little heart.

But when she heard about Rogue moving in, and she saw the flirting and the playfulness, and the kissing and the spending almost every waking moment together, she was beginning to realize that this was getting serious. And something about that was bad. She couldn't figure out what but something inside her just said that it was bad.

She just didn't like the idea of Scott and Rogue being together.

Was she jealous?

No, that was preposterous. She was Jean Grey and Jean Grey was not a jealous person. Besides, she's been with Scott before and he wasn't the right man for her; she had nothing to be jealous of.

Was the relationship, immoral? Unethical? A bad example? Just plain weird? That was the part she couldn't quite place her finger on just yet but you better believe Jean was the Nancy Drew of the mansion and she was going to find out. And when she did, she was going to solve it.

………………………

Meanwhile it was a lovely Saturday afternoon and Rogue and Scott were yet again spending their free time together. This time it was in their new suit the professor let them move into and Scott was helping Rogue move the last of her things in.

Scott had got settled in the new room in a matter of two days, and that was a week and a few days ago, but Rogue had taken forever to move in, moving her things in the room, piece by piece and taking numerous days off in between because of her spending time with Scott. So she had been the one who's taken the whole two weeks to finally get all her things in and settled, but now she finally was.

"There" Cyclops said, placing her last picture frame on the dresser. "We are now, officially moved in." he added while adjusting the picture.

"Well that took longer than expected" she chuckled, making her way over to the bed.

Scott followed. "You're telling me, why do you have so much junk?"

"Hey, hey, hey it's not junk, all this stuff is important, Mr. sock arranger" Rogue defended, poking him in the chest.

Scott chuckled, rubbing his ribs slightly. "Right" he said sarcastically. "Is the dream catcher really that _important_?" he asked pointing to the brown and white yarned circle hanging on the wall over the bed. It made a really cute decoration actually as the color of the wooden frame off set the color of the wall perfectly, and it was smack dab in-between two paintings Scott had framed.

"Yes it's important." She shot back playfully. "We're mutants buddy, we tend to have nightmares a little more than the average person and the professor says to subside the nightmares we should try finding anything that might sooth them away and dammit, this sooths, so it's staying."

Scott chuckled. "Whatever. You're just lucky it looks good on the wall. Other wise I would have blasted it to bits when you weren't looking"

Rogue's jaw dropped to the ground and she chuckled while doing so. "Scott! You wouldn't really blast my things to bits would you?" she asked.

"Hey, you trashed my cassette tapes"

"I put all the songs on cd for you"

"So, I like my cassettes" he frowned.

Rogue giggled. "You are so old fashioned. Nobody listens to cassettes anymore we listen to MP3 players, but since you were two steps behind on the technology bit, I decided to bump you up just once step you know, take it easy."

"Gee thanks"

"Besides, that cassette player is as large as a whale and it looks hideous. It totally clashed with the room"

"You trashed my cassette player too!"

"No!" Rogue replied. "I put it in the basement with your cassettes that I _did not_ trash!" she pointed out, correcting his error.

"You know I'll just sneak them back in when you're not paying attention right?" he asked.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless"

Scott chuckled, grabbing her by the waist and gently pinning her on the bed, showering her with kisses. "I know, but that's what you love about me right?"

Rogue smiled kissing him in return; she loved when he did that. "Wouldn't change it for the world" she replied.

"Good"

And the kissing frenzy began once more. Giggling, laughing, teasing and playing while they were kissing became a ritual among them, and this time it was no different especially since they were in the privacy of their own room.

Pretty soon though, the playfulness turned passionate and tongues were exploring mouths while hands were exploring bodies. It was nice to feel his kisses again; his sexy, dignified, classy kisses. Long after she darn near bleached her mouth to rid of the history of Logan coming anywhere near her lips.

As things heated up by the minutes (especially since they were on a bed), it was only their luck that caused the moment to be interrupted, by a brisk knock at the door.

The two paused from their make-out session, turning to look at the door before looking at each other.

"Oh, I was just beginning to have fun." Scott groaned "Cycwops vewry fruwstrated" he said and Rogue giggled.

"Just one minute" she called to the door while sliding from under Scott and sitting up in the bed, briefly fixing her hair and her blouse.

"C'mon just, tell them to buzz off, this is our time Rogue" he persuaded, nibbling down her neckline and trying to pull her back on the bed.

"Scott cut it out!" she giggled again, swatting him off. "What if it's the professor out there?"

"The professor doesn't knock Rogue, he just enters" he replied before diving back to the sweetness of her neck.

"Ya you're right but still, it could be somebody important" she said, swatting him off again as another knock was heard at the door, this time an impatient one.

"Two seconds!" Rogue called again.

Scott sighed. "I bet you 5 bucks it's Jubilee and Kitty"

Rogue frowned. "Oh c'mon, that's unfair. Just because their a little…………..curious, doesn't mean that they're into _every_ last detail about my love life"

"Rogue, they've been hounding you since you've been dating Bobby, this is no different"

"Oh please. You're probably exaggerating. It's probably Storm or someone telling us that lunch is ready downstairs."

Another sharp rap at the door, this time followed by a "C'mon Rogue, quit the sex games for two minutes and open the door!"

"I believe you owe me five bucks" Scott said and Marie whacked him on the chest.

"Shut up" she jokingly seethed before getting up to answer the door.

Sure enough it was Kitty and Jubilee, standing with grins on their faces, the both of them anxiously waiting for their friend to greet them.

"Oh Rogue, I've missed you so much!" Kitty explained grasping onto her friend and holding on for dear life. "The dorm just isn't the same without you"

"What are you talking about Kitty, I've only been gone for a couple hours."

"I know but still, you're missed. Doesn't it feel good to be missed?" she asked.

"Suuurrrreeee" Rogue slurred, eyeing the two suspiciously. "What are you two up to?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing" Jubilee replied for the both of them. "Just came by to see what you're up to, check out the new room." She added, peering inside. "Nice decoration"

"Thanks"

"Hi Mr. Summers!" Kitty greeted once she detached from Rogue.

"Hello Katherine, Jubilation" Scott greeted, getting up from the bed and making his way over to the door. "Rogue, I'm going to head to the kitchen for a minute, grab a little snack. You want anything?"

"Oh uh, no thanks" she replied with a smile.

"You sure?"

"Positive"

Scott smiled, gently placing a kiss on her lips. "Alright" he said before heading down the hall.

The three girls watched him go before Jubilee and Kitty squealed, hauling their friend into the room and shutting the door. "Alright girlie, spill!" Jubilee said, hopping on the bed.

"Ya" Kitty agreed. "Tell us what's going on"

"Wow, are you two observant" Rogue said sarcastically, joining them on the king sized, sleigh bed. "I mean I just moved in with the man, what more do you want?" she asked.

"We want details sister, so spill!" Jubilee said.

"Details on what?"

"On what goes on, duh!" the yellow-clad girl retorted.

"Ya like for instance, is it still safe for us to be sitting on this lovely bed of yours?" Shadow cat asked with a snicker.

Rogue playfully rolled her eyes. "Guys" she moaned. "You know I'm still a virgin. We made a promise to each other; sleep and tell, remember?"

"Oh good, I see you haven't lost your morals" Jubilee chimed.

Rogue laughed. "Guys, I assure you, nothing is going on. We're just living together that's all"

"And kissing and flirting and spending almost every, waking moment together" Kitty noted. "But I assume that comes along with the territory of dating right?"

"You are dating aren't you?" Jubilee asked.

Rogue thought about this for a moment. Were they dating? I mean you can't just move into a suit with any ol' person without dating them can you? She didn't know; it was a difficult subject.

On the one hand, she and Scott were quite fond of each other, and their relationship was growing as the days went on but on the other hand, it was all two soon. They were still in that critical, is it or is it not hypocritical point with Jean and Logan and not only that but two weeks was barely enough time to claim to people friends, more or less, a couple. Could it just be grief from their past relationships that attracted them to each other, or could it be lust? Could Scott and Rogue really care for each other in the way they claimed in such short amount of time.

The thought of this made Rogue frown. She wasn't happy with the idea that there was some slim possibility of her and Scott being together just because. She had really cared for Scott; in more ways than she's cared for anyone in a long time. And it would break her heart if she found out that Scott was only with her just because he needed some temporary relief from his break up with Jean.

She wasn't a break-up reliever; she was a person dammit! A person who has grown very attached to him and a person who would feel devastated if she found out that Scott was only with her because he couldn't be alone.

"Heeeellllllllllloooooooo, anybody home?" Jubilee asked, waving a hand in front of Rogue's face. She was taking an awful long time to respond.

"Huh, oh, what?" Marie asked, snapping back into reality.

"You ok there?" Kitty asked. "You seemed like you changed moods a bit?"

Rogue sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking" she replied.

"Thinking about what? The question Jubes asked you?"

Rogue remained silent.

"You guys aren't together are you?" Jubilation asked knowingly. The only way someone would take so long to answer a question like that is if the answer was no or they were too ashamed. And since Rogue just openly kissed Scott in front of them not even 5 minutes ago, she knew it was the first option.

"To be honest, I don't really know" Rogue replied truthfully.

Jubilee and Kitty gave her sympathetic looks. It seemed as though Rogue was really struggling with this once she really thought about it. Who could blame her, she was caught between being with the man she adored and fighting off the feelings of being hypocritical or jealous to the man she once loved. All that could leave a girl in a whirlwind of emotions.

"You wanna talk about it?" Kitty asked.

Rogue sighed again. "No not really" she said.

There was a moment of silence there, when Rogue was thinking about her dilemma and Jubilee and Kitty thought of a way to help her. The last thing they wanted was for their friend to be sad over something they brought up.

"Well hey!" Jubilee began, breaking the silence. "Let's not sit here and wallow in sorrow ness! Let's do something fun!"

"Like what?"

"Well, the gang and I are going to the mall this afternoon, wanna come?"

"The gang?"

"Oh you know, me, John, Kitty, Bobby, Peter, Warren, the _gang_" she elaborated.

"You and John?" Rogue questioned, noting the order in which she listed said _gang._ "What's going on between you two? Do I detect a little chemistry maybe?"

"Ew, Bleh!" Jubilee exclaimed. "The day I go out with Jonathan Allerdyce, may all my hair fall out." Rogue giggled. "He's only coming because I promised him ten bucks if he held my stuff" she said with a grin.

Marie laughed again. Just like John; always looking to make some spare cash.

"Anyway, it's going to be loads of fun, you and Scott should come"

Again Rogue took a moment to think. It did sound like as Jubilee described it "loads of fun"; after all, she hasn't spent time with her friends in awhile. But she just didn't think that Scott would be up for it.

Not that he didn't like spending time with her; he did but, maybe not so much with all her friends. After all, they just graduated not so much as a month and a half ago, she figured if anything, he'd be trying to keep distance between them, not spend any more time with them. An hour and a half everyday, five days a week, one hundred eighty days out of the year was more than enough.

"No thanks you guys, I think I'll stay" she finally replied, after assessing all the pros and cons.

"Aww, why?" Kitty asked. That wasn't really the answer she and Jubilee were expecting.

"It's sounds like a lot of fun guys but I think I just need to spend a little bit of time thinking that's all"

"Thinking?" Jubilee asked. "Oh hun we didn't upset you about that whole, are you together thing did we? Because we totally didn't mean it, we were just trying to…….."

"No, no, you didn't upset me" Rogue reassured. "I just need to go over some things in my head, try to make sure I'm not bonkers or anything" she said. "Plus I think me and Scott need to spend a little time alone. You know, break in the new room"

"Oooooohhhhh" both girls said in unison. "We get it" they added with a wink.

Rogue rolled her eyes immediately catching her error; she should have never said it that way. "No guys, I didn't mean it that way."

"No, no, there's no need to explain" Jubilee said and she and Kitty got up off the bed. "We totally and completely understand. Don't let us disturb you any longer" she said as the two girls made their way to the door.

"Guys you know I didn't mean it like……."

"Have fun you guys" Kitty said. "And remember, sleep and tell"

And with that the two girls were gone.

Marie rolled her eyes again. _"My friends" _she thought with a sigh.

In no more than two minutes of her friend's absence, did Scott renter the room, carrying a bowl of fresh mixed fruit in his hands.

"Can you believe that this school has nothing but plain junk in the kitchen? I mean it literally took me more than half the time I was out there to find this" he said, motioning to his bowl of fruit and popping a piece of pineapple in his mouth. "Want one?"

Rogue softly declined, giving him a half smile and sitting on the bed once more.

"Oh don't be a sour puss, I saved the best one for you" he said, grabbing another fruit from the bowl. "See? Cherry" Scott grinned.

Rogue smiled. "Scott, I'm allergic to cherries." She replied with a little laugh. Scott gave her a sheepish smile and tossed the cherry back in the bowl.

"Well that's a real mood killer" he replied, setting the bowl on the nightstand, and hopping on the bed, pinning her down and once again smothering her in kisses. "No matter, I think this will substitute just fine don't you?" he asked.

Rogue smiled, cupping his face in her hands and bringing his lips to hers for lovely kiss. "It's better than fine"

And their kissing game began once again.

This time, their playful ritual was abandoned and things were beginning to get steamy, and get steamy fast. They had picked up, right were they left off before they were interrupted, but once again with their fate, they were to be interrupted again, this time by Rogue's conscious.

As much as she tried to focus on the sweetness of his kisses, she just couldn't shake her conversation with Kitty and Jubilee from her head. She was seriously beginning to ponder why exactly Scott was with her and if all those things Logan had said earlier were true. She really didn't want to go on any further if this relationship was going to end as soon as Scott was better again. She was too attached.

As Scott moved down to her neck Rogue was beginning to loose the urge to kiss him and feel the need for a conversation. "Scott?" she asked, while trying to sit up but Scott remained on top of her, working his sweet mini-striations down her jawbone.

"Hmm?" he asked while still consumed with her skin.

"Did you know that we're approximately 11 years apart from one another?" she began, still trying to sit up.

"Thanks for the math lesson" Scott replied, moving to the other side of her neck.

"Well you know, I'm 18 years old and you're twenty-nine years old and well in some countries, we'd be well on our way to marriage but in America, people would look at us funny"

"People already look at us funny, we're mutants" he said in between kisses.

"Well I know that but think about it. I mean when you were 11 years old and well on your way to sixth grade, I was just being born. Had we known each other back then you could have been changing my diapers." She said.

Scott sighed, discontinuing his previous activity and sitting up in the bed, looking down in Rogue. "I'm sensing a little disturbance here" he said helping her sit up as well. "This age difference thing, does it bother you?" he asked.

Rogue nodded a no. "Only if it bothers you" she said.

"Well it doesn't, problem solved" he grinned, leaning in for another kiss but again Rogue stopped him.

"Scott!" she groaned and Scott playfully chuckled.

"What? C'mon Rogue, what's gotten into you?" he asked. "What did Kitty and Jubilee say to you?"

"Nothing" she said. "They just got me thinking is all"

"Thinking about our age difference?"

"No, thinking about us" she said.

Scott crumpled up his face in confusion. "You lost me here" he said and Rogue sighed.

"Scott, you don't think that this is moving to fast?" she asked.

"No, why? Do you?" he asked. "Because you know if you don't want to move in here you don't have to. I don't want you to fell pressured or anything to…."

"No, Scott I don't feel pressured it's just………." Rogue sighed. "Where will we be in two years, one year, 6 months or hell even next week? I mean it's only been two weeks since the incident and I'm already your roommate. I don't regret that, I want to be your roommate but I'm just scared that once you feel better you'll realize that this was all a mistake and you won't want to be with me anymore" she confessed.

"Oh, Rogue" Scott sympathized, sitting down next to her now and embracing her in a hug. "Where would you get an idea like that?" he asked.

"I don't know. I mean I know you Scott, you've been my teacher for four years and I know you're a very analytical person. I'm scared that once you finally get over the whole Logan and Jean thing, you'll realize how strange this whole thing is and break it off."

"Well you've got me there, I am a very analytical person." He admitted and Rogue sighed. She was right after all. "But I've been over Jean for quite some time now"

Rogue quirked an eyebrow. "You have?" she asked. Well this was new; she was actually mistaken; she was pretty sure Scott would be the type of guy to wallow in regret.

"Yes I have" he confirmed. "I think the lack of an engagement ring proves it" he chuckled showing her his empty ring finger. "Listen Rogue, I know I'm a pretty straight forward look at the facts type guy but believe me when I say that you are one of the best things that's ever happened to me"

Rogue softly beamed. "You mean it?"

"Of course" he said. "I mean this whole thing with Logan and Jean was like a blessing in disguise; it led me to you. Being with you is like an adventure each and everyday and I don't want to loose that. You funny, sweet, charming, beautiful, talented and just and amazing person Rouge and I'd be crazy to let you go"

She smiled. "That's really sweet Scott"

"I know" he said with a grin, placing another kiss on her lips and attempting to go back to their previous activity. "That's why they call me the king"

Rogue chuckled. "Well before you sit on your throne there, your majesty." she said, halting him from placing another kiss on her lips. "I just need to know one more thing"

"Yes my Queen?" Scott charmed, tapping her on the chin.

Rogue chuckled a bit before replying. "Everything you just said to be about wanting nothing more than to be with me and being over Jean and Logan, did you truly mean that? Or are you just saying it to kiss me again?"

"Too kiss you again, most defiantly" Scott replied instantly and Rogue frowned.

"Scott!" she whined.

Scott laughed now, wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her forehead. "Rogue" he whined back. "Why do you have so many doubts? You say I'm the analytical one and you're more worried than I am."

"I just don't want to wind up hurt again Scott" she admitted. "I've been hurt too many times in my life and I don't want this to be another."

"But you won't get hurt Rogue, I'm not letting you go"

"How can I be sure? How do I know this is not just the depression talking?"

Now Scott gave her a questionable eyebrow. "Do I look depressed to you?" he asked, followed by a cheesy grin.

Rogue giggled. "No you don't"

"Exactly. I'm way to happy when I'm around you"

"And I too you" she agreed.

"So what's the problem?" he said exasperatedly

"The problem is………."Rogue sighed. "The problem is, when things come my way that make me happy, they get yanked away. One way or another, someone or something tares them away from me and I wind up miserable like I was before. I don't want that to happen to us Scott. I want to know that you're happy with me and I'm happy with you and our relationship isn't just based on depression or lust"

Scott sighed, pulling Rogue in his lap and resting her head on his shoulder. "You know what my mom used to tell me, back when me and my brothers where little and we wrote up our Christmas lists for Santa?"

"Gee Scott way to go on the reassurance" Rogue noted.

"Just follow me, I'm going somewhere with this" he said and she chuckled, taking his hand in hers and lacing her fingers in between his.

"What did she used to tell you?" she asked.

"She used to tell us, that Santa would only bring us one gift, so what ever it was, we had to make sure it's what we absolutely wanted"

"And how'd you do that?"

"Well, my older brother Adam came up with the idea to say each thing on our list to ourselves five times, and think about how good it would actually be to have that present. Then at the end of the five trials, which ever present was still on the list was the one we most wanted and the one we sent to Santa"

"So you think I should say your name five times and see how much I want you at the end?"

"It's worth a try don't you think?"

Rogue threw him a smile. "Ok, but for the record, this has total one-hundred percent awkwardness written all over it."

Scott laughed. "Just try it"

"Alright" she said with a sigh. "I want Scott Summers"

Cyclops smiled. "That's it, you've got it" he encouraged. "I want Marie D'Acanto" he followed

"I want Scott Summers" she giggled.

"I want Marie D'Acanto" he replied, looking deep into her eyes from his shades

"I want Scott Summers" she repeated seriously with a flattered smile.

"I want Marie D'Acanto"

"I want Scott Summers" The awkwardness was fading away and the reality was beginning to set in. The words that were coming out of her mouth were true and had meaning, and with each repetition, her doubts were beginning to fade away.

"I want Marie D'Acanto"

"I want Scott Summers"

"I want Marie D'Acanto"

By the end of their trials, both were looking intensely into each others eyes, as if Scott's shades were completely invisible, and they were so mesmerized by each other, they couldn't see, hear, smell, feel or even think about anyone or anything that might be in the room but each other. They truly wanted each other.

"I want Scott Summers" Marie said again and Scott chuckled.

"That's six times silly" he said and Marie smiled.

"I still want you"

"And I too you"

They sealed their deal with a kiss, a sweet, sweet romantic kiss that neither of them could be more pleased with. They floated to cloud nine and back with that kiss, both laced in each others arms and consumed in each others soul, everybody and everything else not even the slightest bit of concern in their minds right now, all they cared about was each other.

"So is this still morbidly awkward?" he asked once breaking the kiss and letting her cuddle in his arms.

Rogue smiled against his lips. "Not in the least bit" she admitted. "And as a matter of fact, I feel more reassured than ever"

"So no more doubts?" he asked.

"None what so ever." She said. "You are the perfect Christmas present"

Scott embraced the compliment he just received, inflating his ego ten fold. "I guess you'll have to write Santa a thank you letter"

"Sure will" she agreed, placing another kiss on his lips. "Christmas came twice this year"

……………………………………….

Review!!!!


	13. Jean's Jealousy

Of Jealousy and Love ch 13

………………………………

It was their first night in their new room and nothing but pure and absolute bliss filled the air as the couple slept.

Staying up a little passed midnight to play their little kissy-games, Scott and Rogue finally drifted off to sleep in each other's arms that night, without a care in the world to bother them.

Unfortunately though, as comfortable as they were, the tremendous urge to tinkle had been bugging Scott for a few hours now, and he was thereby forced to get up out of bed to use the bathroom.

Rogue stirred a little when she felt the shift in the bed until Scott gently comforted her back into sleep. "It's ok" he said, while stroking her hair. "Just go back to sleep"

While falling back into the slumber she was once in, Scott made his way to the bathroom to relieve his bladder pressure, then crawled back into bed, next to her only to find that sleep was darn near ten thousand miles away from his mind.

That's why he hated going to the bathroom in the middle of the night; it always kept him wide-awake.

Groaning softly in frustration Scott tossed the covers off his body from his portion of the bed and slipped on his slippers, heading out the room door. Maybe a little snack would help him out.

…………

As he neared the kitchen Scott's ears picked up the noises of some one shuffling around, and fixing themselves a snack, most likely tea by way of the bitter sweet smell that drafted across his nose.

Scott prayed it wasn't Logan, for he was the absolute last person he wanted to come on contact with at the moment but as he thought about it further, the chance of Logan being up late at night drinking tea was probably about the same chance of the professor getting up out of his wheelchair and doing the hokie-pokie so most likely it wasn't him in the kitchen.

That brightened Scott's mood a bit. At least he wouldn't have to fight back the urge to blast his head off. He might just have a smooth, easy sailing night.

But of course, as luck would have it, (and seeing as how Scott just seemed to have the best of luck these days when it came to encounters), the other person who he absolutely did not want to come in contact with was in the kitchen, busily sipping away at her tea.

Dr. Jean Grey

"_Spoke to soon"_ Scott thought to himself, while walking into the kitchen.

"I heard that" Jean replied.

She continued to read the magazine that was in front of her on the table and sip her tea, not even bothering to look at him. If she did she would have noticed Scott grimacing. Who gave her permission to read his thoughts anyway?

"You know, it's not polite to read someone's thoughts without permission" he stated, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and then digging around in the fridge for some milk.

"Never bothered you before"

"It's always bothered me Jean, it's rude" he said pouring some milk into his glass.

"Well its not my fault you were thinking to loud" she replied snappily.

"First off it's thinking too loudly," he snapped in return. "and second off since when has that ever been an excuse? I've never heard that from the professor"

"Ya well, I'm not the professor"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Whatever Jean" he said, sitting on the chair across from her on the island and sipping at his milk.

Now it was Jean's turn to roll her eyes. She angrily paused from reading her magazine to glare at her ex-fiancé. "Scott seriously, cut the shit ok. I haven't got an once of sleep in weeks, I'm tired as hell, I've been working over time in the infirmary, my body is physically drained and I just came here to get a moment of peace, so could you please?"

Scott scoffed. "The day you get a moments peace in a mansion full of kids, you let me know."

"Would you stop with the sarcastic remarks? Dammit Scott" she retorted, angrily flipping her magazine back open.

"Hey, I'm not here to cater to you princess, I'm just telling you like it is. And besides, if you want a moment of peace then you shouldn't have said anything to me when I came in the kitchen. You started it, not me"

"What so you're acting like a little kid again now? Blaming someone else for your actions. Did you pick that up from Rogue?"

Scott glared; she was really pushing his buttons. "Hey, Rogue has nothing to do with this, so leave her out."

Now Jean scoffed. "Whatever." She said, flipping another page in her magazine. "Wouldn't be surprised if you let Jubilee and Kitty move in with you next" she mumbled under her breath.

Scott unfortunately, picked that up and it was making him boil over, causing him to slam his cup on the counter. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you picking fights with me?"

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked. "What the hell is wrong with you! You let an 18-year old girl move into your room Scott, what's gotten into you?"

"Is that what this is all about? You're jealous that Rogue moved in with me?"

"Jealous? Ha! More like feel sorry for the girl. What kid of sick and demented things are you persuading her to do Scott?"

"Sick and demented things!" Scott fumed. "Rogue moved in with me, because she wanted to, not because I forced her too."

"Oh right, was this before or after you slept with her in a hotel the other night"

Now Scott had really had it; he was though with Jean's jealousy. "You know for a telepath you make a hell of a lot of assumptions, most of which aren't even correct Jean"

"Not correct? Hello, I'm watching it unfold right in front of my very eyes, what more proof do I need?"

"Rogue and I never slept together. We spent all day at a water park and at a carnival, we were tired and didn't feel like coming home so we spent the night at a hotel; nothing happened"

"Scott Summers at a water park? Oh c'mon Scott, I know you of all people can come up with a better lie than that."

"I'm not lying Jean, it's the truth. Go ahead, prod into my memories, you seem to be really good at that"

Now Jean felt small; very, very small. She could have sworn Logan told her that the two had slept together. He practically announced it at the breakfast table when they fought that one day. And when Rogue and Scott made no denials to the allegations, she assumed it was true.

She guessed she just made a complete ass of herself, but it didn't matter, the point was, Scott was still living with Rogue and it wasn't right.

"Well it doesn't matter what you did or not do that night in the hotel, you're still living with her and that isn't right Scott. She's a former student of yours, what will the professor say?"

"I already talked to the professor and he's fine with the idea"

"And the words former student make no never mind to you right?"

"Oh no wait, I'm sorry, I forgot. I'm supposed to wait until she finds and fiancé she's madly in love with then sleep with her and then let her move in, right? I'm sorry Jean, I completely forgot. Where is my head today?"

Jean glared daggers. "I will not be made the enemy here Scott, you know what you're doing is wrong"

"No, the only reason it's wrong is because you're jealous" he fired back. "God, you know what. You are just like a clone of Logan"

"Don't you condescend me Scott Summers."

"Who's condescending here, me or you? You're the one who's accusing me of being a pedophile and sleeping with a former student of mine"

"Well hey, if the shoe fits"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Now look who's being childish. What, did you pick that up from Logan?"

"Leave him out of this!"

"Why should I!" Scott yelled. "That's what this is all about isn't it? You're jealous! You're jealous that I've gotten over you and you're jealous that I've moved on with someone else. You can't handle the fact that I'm not sitting here, wallowing over loosing you to that walking hypocrite and his belt buckle"

"I most certainly am not jealous!"

"Then why are you badgering me about my living arrangements with Rogue?"

"Because it's not right Scott! You are a teacher at this school, an X-man, and freaking role model for Christ's sake! What do you think the board of education will say, or hell even what the children might say when they find out you've moved into a suit with a former student of yours?"

"I believe their words were, _Congratulations Mr. Summers_."

Jean threw her arms up in the air. "You're hopeless!" she cried.

"Hey, hey, hey" came the hushed tone of their dear good friend, Ororo Munroe, making her way into the kitchen. She was clad in her silk white nightgown and robe and had just entered the kitchen with a finger to her lips, signaling for the two to calm their voices.

"The whole mansion can hear you two, what's going on?" she asked.

"Talk to Jean, she seems to know everything around here" Scott snorted.

"You know what? I am sick of you……………."

"Shh, shh, shhh!" Storm said, hushing her friend. "Please you guys keep it down, Lily's been sick with the flu all day and I just got her to go to sleep so please."

"Whatever, I'm over this" Scott said rolling his eyes for the millionth time that evening. "I'm going to bed"

And with that he poured the rest of his milk down the drain and set his cup in the sink, turning around and leaving the kitchen without so much as a goodnight to the two ladies in the kitchen.

Storm only looked at Jean who sighed

……………………………

The next morning………

It was around 9 o'clock when Rogue finally arose, stretching her limbs and letting go of a big yawn to greet the morning sun that was streaming through the windows. She smiled, as today seemed like such a nice day out and it would be perfect for her and Scott could take advantage of the beautiful whether and take a stroll in the park.

As she turned to the other side of the bed to pitch her idea to Scott, she sadly came to find that his side of the bed was empty, with only a note and a flower resting on his pillow.

Picking up the note, she read,

_Dear Rogue, _

_You look so peaceful when you sleep and I didn't want to wake you. But the professor wants to see us in his office pronto, so as soon as you wake up, meet me there. _

_Can't wait to see your smiling face, _

Scott 

Rogue grinned at the charming little letter and hugged it tight to her chest while smelling the flower the accompanied it. Baby's breath; her favorite. Getting up out of bed and heading to the bathroom, Rogue placed the note and the delicate flower on her dresser, making a metal note to later save it as a keepsake.

As she entered the bathroom she wondered a tiny bit what the professor needed to see them about but the majority of her focus was on Scott and his cute little note.

………………………

After going through her daily rounds of grooming, Rogue finally made it to the professor's office, knocking shyly on the door for being so late. She knew the professor had this thing for being on time and Lord only knows how long ago Scott had left that note on the bed.

"_Oh I knew I shouldn't have brushed 150 stokes" _she thought, running a hand through her finely combed hair. "_100 would have done just fine"_

A gentle, "Come in Rogue" was heard by the professor from inside and Rogue turned the handle, peeping her head into the office and grinning sheepishly before bringing her whole body in.

She was surprised to see that she and Scott were not the only one's in there. Jean, Logan, Storm, John, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, and Peter were there as well. She wondered just what kind of meeting this was.

"Good morning professor" she replied, ignoring the stares from her peers. "Sorry I'm late. I over slept and I………."

"No it's alright Rogue, you're right on time actually" he softly interrupted.

"I am?" she asked.

The professor chuckled. "Yes you are"

"We're going on our first mission" Jubilee cut in excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Thank you Jubilation" Charles said, smiling a bit at her excitement.

"We are?" Rogue asked.

"Yes you are" he confirmed. "I feel that you and the others and adequately prepared for your first real mission and therefore I want you, Jonathan, Robert, Jubilation, Katharine and Piotr, to attend the others on their mission today" he explained.

"Wow" Rogue replied, flabbergasted that she was finally starting her real X-men work. This is when they separated the men from the boys and decided who could really cut it as an X-man. "Are you sure we're ready professor?" she asked.

Charles chuckled again. "Absolutely positive. I have faith in you all."

She smiled. "Well alright then, I'm ready"

"Good" he smiled. "Then why don't you and the others get suited up and take off, I'm sure Scott will debrief you in the hangar"

"Right" she said.

The group arose from their spots on the sofas and began making their way out the door, but not before Jubilee and Kitty pulled Rogue back and whispered in her ear, "Oooo, Scott debriefing you. Sounds like fun" they said in unison before giggling to themselves while Rogue glared.

"Real cute guys"

……………………………

After changing into the rather uncomfortable X-men uniform and being informed about each others, positions and plans for arrival, Rogue was indeed debriefed by Scott and informed that they were heading to Washington to stop another one of Magneto's attempts to over though the government in favor of mutant rights. This time he had captured California's governor, holding him hostage in some underground lair he had in the Northwest and it was up to the X-men to stop him.

Rogue was a bit apprehensive about coming into contact with Magneto again. Ever since that incident on Liberty Island, she never was comfortable around him. But an X-man had to do what an X-man had to do so she'd put on her brave face and go through with it.

Soon enough after all the run throughs of their supplies and on the jet were completed, the trainees were all reminded of the rules and regulations once more before they finally boarded the black bird and took off in the air.

Once up in the air, regular conversation took place as Storm and Scott who were flying the jet chatted away and Jean and Logan flirted with each other in the double seats behind them. Jubilee and Kitty chatted excitedly about this being their first mission while Bobby and Peter went over their battle tactics, and John refrained from falling asleep in his chair. (After all the flight from New York to Washington was a 6-hour flight and with no MP3 player he was defiantly going to be bored out of his mind.)

Rogue however, sat in her seat, clutching on the handles for dear life and constantly checking to make sure she was properly fastened in her chair. Ever since that incident in which she was projected out of the blackbird, she's been terrified of ever flying in that thing. Roller coasters and waters rides she could handle, but planes were a big, no-no.

Scott noticed her apprehensiveness and lack of conversation after catching sight of her from a mirror on the wall and he smiled a bit. He didn't know she was scared of planes.

"Rogue you ok back there?" he asked, briefly turning around to glance at her.

"Yes, I'm fine" she replied slowly, still attached to the seat like Velcro.

"You sure? You look like your about to rip off those handles and you might want to be a little careful, we're not insured" he joked.

"We're not?" she exclaimed panicking about being injured some how in the jet and not having any way to pay for her injuries. Oh that just made her feel a whole lot better.

Scott chuckled. "It was a joke Rogue calm down." He said, laughing a little bit more.

"It's not funny" she pouted.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he apologized. "What are you so scared of anyway? I've got a firm grip on this thing, and in case I don't, Storm is here as my back up, you're perfectly safe"

"Well after being catapulted from the blackbird once, I'd rather not take anymore chances." She said.

Scott threw her a befuddled look. "You were what?" he asked. "How did that happen?"

"Oh, that's right" Storm interrupted. "You weren't here for that." She said.

"Storm, how did she……………."

"Well to make a long story short, John started a fire at Bobby's house, the police got involved, they tracked the plane, we were caught by air patrol, they ordered us to lower the plane, we didn't comply, they fired missiles, one hit us, Rogue wasn't buckled in, she flew out and Night crawler saved her." She explained. She gave him the short choppy version, which only made Scott more confused. He didn't know how to react to that bit of information.

Scott sat there stunned. "John did what? And you got caught by who? And she? And who? And………………….I'm starting to regret bringing them along." He said.

"Hey, don't spoil our opportunity, because of something John and Rogue did!" Jubilee cried. "That's no fair!"

"You think I _wanted_ to be sucked out of a plane?" Rogue asked.

"Click it or ticket Rogue, it's the law"

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, calm down ladies" Scott said. "The bottom line is, I've got complete control of the blackbird now so you have nothing to be worried about ok?"

Rogue took in a deep breath, relaxing a bit. "Ok"

"_We'll just see about that"_ thought the malicious Jean Grey.

She couldn't help herself. She wasn't sure if it was jealousy or small leftovers from the Phoenix side of her taking over but with the knowledge of Rogue being afraid of the blackbird, she couldn't help but test her limits.

Evilly, Jean used her telekinesis to nudge the manual shift of the plane a bit (or actually a lot), sending it into a sharp nosedive downward.

The reactions in the jet were quite priceless as Storm clutched on to her seat for dear life, Bobby and Peter screamed bloody murder, John held onto his seat and his stomach, Jubilee and Kitty shrieked, Rogue clenched her eyes shut and grasped the seat harder than she's ever grasped anything in her life, Logan let go a brief, "Arg!" before holding on to his seat and holding Jean in her seat as well, and Jean inwardly smirked to herself, while pretending to be just as startled as the others and held onto Logan.

It took awhile for Scott to react since he was caught off guard from the sudden jerk and he managed to gain control of the jet, pulling it back into proportion before gradually brining it back up to the altitude it was at before.

Once Scott regained control of the blackbird, complaints were fired at him left and right from the passengers and it took a moment or two for everyone to calm down.

"Alright, alright, alright" Scott said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my hand slipped" he apologized.

"Is everyone alright back there?" Storm asked.

"No" Logan replied, glaring daggers at Scott.

"I think I'm going to loose my breakfast" Pyro answered, still holding his stomach.

Scott rolled his eyes. "Everyone else?" he asked. "Are you all ok? Rogue?"

Rogue didn't reply.

"Rogue?" Scott asked again, slightly panicking. He hoped she didn't pass out.

Still no reply.

"Can somebody check on Rogue please?"

Immediately Logan unfastened his seatbelt and hopped over to Rogue, kneeling down in front of her to make sure she was ok. "Kid are you alright?" he asked, watching her still clenching her seat with her eyes glued shut.

"Kid are you alright?" he asked again, shaking her a bit when she didn't reply.

She was mumbling a few incoherent things to herself that Logan couldn't understand and it took her to kiss her pendant of a cross dangling off her chain and say aloud, "In Jesus name, amen" before he finally got a reply.

"Are you alright kid?" Logan asked once more after she finally peeked open her eyes.

When she saw that they were no longer falling, Rogue sighed to herself and relaxed a little in her seat. "Yes" she replied. "I'm fine"

Logan shot her a small smile, giving her a reassuring rub on the shoulder before turning to go back to his seat.

"_Damn" _Jean thought after watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes. "_It didn't work"_

………………………

Review!!!!


	14. The fight

Of Jealousy and Love ch 14

………………………….

Around 4 o'clock, they finally landed the blackbird in an open clearing in an upstate Washington forest.

Thankfully the rest of the trip went smoothly, (nose diving dip free), and everyone was ok. It was now time to continue on with the mission and search for Magneto and his clan, in efforts to free the California governor.

"Are you sure these are the coordinates?" Logan asked once getting off the jet and looking around. There was nothing but trees, dirt and bushes surrounding them.

"This is what the professor gave us" Storm replied.

"Great" John but in, stepping off the jet and onto the ground. "Why did Magneto have to chose a freaking forest for his lair location?"

"Why did he have to chose a freaking _cold_ forest for his lair location?" Bobby added. "It's got to be a good 20 degrees colder here than New York gets in the Winter." He said while hugging himself for warmth. "And it's summer"

"That's only cause' we're near the mountains" Jubilee informed. "I bet you the rest of the state is smothering in heat"

"Alright well, cold or warm whether, we've got a job to do so let's move out" Scott ordered.

Closing the door to the blackbird and putting it in stealth mode, Scott began leading the way in their search for Magneto.

"Look for any sort of strange opening or secret pathways" he ordered.

"Or look for anyone" Storm added.

As they padded through the forest, searching for any hints that might lead them to their destination, Jean did an over all mental scan to see if she could sense any other thoughts in the area but two thoughts in particular caught her attention and distracted her from finding anyone else.

It was Rogue and Scott, thinking about each other as usual, and as they did so, memories of the two cuddling, kissing and playing their little flirty games were appearing as well and it was making her sick.

She still believed that their relationship was wrong and she couldn't believe that they were thinking about each other in a time like this.

"Hey" came Storm's voice, interrupting the red head from any further jealousy.

"Ya, huh?" Jean asked.

"Could you do a mental scan, see if anyone's in the area?" she asked the telepath.

"I already did. I can't find anything. He must be wearing that stupid helmet of his" Ok so, truth be told, she was so focused on fuming over Scott and Rogue to look hard enough but, they didn't need to know that.

"Well there has to be someone else with him." Scott said. "You didn't get anything?" he asked.

"I said, no" Jean retorted as if she was still 16, giving Scott a look that said, "shut-up and drop it".

Scott only sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well why don't we try to…………."

"_This should fix this little problem, right here, right now"_ Jean thought to herself, ignoring whatever it was Scott was going to say next and turning her attention to Rogue.

Again the immoral side of Jean was taking over as she again used her telekinesis to subtly move a small branch that was lying in Rogue's path right in front of her, causing the poor girl to trip and fall.

"Whoa" came Rogue's startled reply, as she came tumbling to the ground and Jean inwardly laughed.

"Rogue, are you alright?" Scott asked, rushing to her side to help her up.

"Oh, sweetheart, are you ok?" came Storm's concern as well. It wasn't like Rogue to be so clumsy.

"Ya, ya, I'm fine, I'm fine" Rogue said, getting back up with the assistance of Scott. "That branch just popped out of nowhere" she said dusting herself off a bit.

"_Popped out of nowhere huh?"_ Scott thought to himself. He had a pretty good idea who was behind this. Branches never just pop out of nowhere; especially when it concerned someone as graceful as Rogue. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked aloud.

"Ya I'm fine" she said giving him a reassuring smile. "It was nothing. I was just to busy looking to notice it."

Scott sighed. "Alright well, be a little more careful next time" he said, giving her a reassuring rub on the back.

"Duly noted" she said with a smile.

"Alright guys, let's keep looking until we……………"

"Hey what's that!" Jubilee cried, pointing towards a red glaring streamer in the sky.

Had it been broad daylight, the signal would have been easily missed but since the sky was tinged gray, it was fairly noticeable as it soared it's way across the sky.

The group paused for a moment, watching it in all it's red glory while trying to figure out just what it was. It seemed to have no clear destination as it wavered back a forth and did a few loop-de-loops, and yet it didn't burst into a mist of colorful smoke like a flare of a firecracker might do.

"Just what the hell is that?" Logan pondered aloud, sheathing his claws out for any sort of need-be protection, and standing close to Jean for her well being as well.

Watching the red flare intently, Scott was a little more focused than the others, trying to find the source of this unidentified object. There was something fishy about a red flare being thrown up into the sky in the middle of the woods and dancing about in the way it did and it didn't help any that these particular woods were the holding place of Magneto and crew.

Trailing the line of smoke to its origin, Scott noticed that it was short ranged and hadn't been launched from very far and his accusations immediately went to Magneto. In all likelihood this was a trick from one of his henchmen to distract them in order to make their attack.

Suspicions being proven correct, Scott's eyes widened in horror from under his shades as he watched the red flare begin making it's descend downward toward the team followed by a good twenty or thirty more, being following from its original launch location.

"They're explosives!" Scott cried. "Get out of range!"

Immediately, the team took off to find a spot to take cover, dodging a few of the explosives as they came in contact with the ground, blowing up dirt and forming small craters in the earth.

There was a small gathering of oversized rocks, not to far from their path and the team made their way over, Storm, Logan, and Jean managing to form somewhat of a protective circle around the younger ones and guide them to the save spot while Scott took the time to stop and fire at some of the explosives, setting them off in the air.

Bobby and John helped as well, freezing them and setting them on fire, but when they tried to do so they were only met with harsh orders from Scott to keep moving.

Running, warding off mini-bombs and keeping an eye on the kids all at the same time proved to be more than exhausting, but apparently it that wasn't enough; an army of mutants began pouring in chasing after them.

The bombs stopped flying by now, but it went without saying that now it was battle time.

Finally the group reached the clutter of rocks and after glancing back to see the mutant clad gaining on them, they hastily gave the teens their orders.

"Stay here, we'll handle this" Storm said, glancing from the advancing henchmen to the X-men trainees.

"What!" John cried. "But we can help you, we've had training!" he said.

"Not enough training" Jean said. "Stay here" she added firmly.

They couldn't protest any longer as they mutants had already gotten close enough to begin their attack and the X-men had no choice but to take them on, leaving the younger ones to watch from their spot on the rocks.

There was a brief pause in the air as X-men and henchmen squared off, glancing and sizing each other up and down, making their judgments about their opponents.

"I take it you're the X-men" one of the girls in the group said, balling her glove clad hands into fists and smirking, cracking her neck side to side.

"What's it to ya" Logan said, following suit.

"We've been asked by Magneto to take care of you. He can't be bothered with _light weight_" she said, clearly insulting them and their fighting abilities.

"We'll just see about that" Scott said.

_"Logan you go to the left, Scott go for the right, Storm and I will advance in the middle got it?"_ Jean instructed telepathically and there was a brief exchange of glances of confirmation between them.

A warrior cry was heard by one of the henchmen on the opposing side followed by "Attack!" before the mini-battle engaged.

The smooth talker, who introduced them as Magneto's henchmen went for Jean and was clearly a hundred times faster than the average person and sped in the red head's direction, sending her an unsuspecting blow to the face.

After chopping off the ears of some elf looking creature, Logan was clearly angered by this woman hurting his own woman, and he therefore slashed her on the back leaving her to cry in pain and seethe at Logan. Wringing her arm back to strike him in the face as well, Logan's reactions oddly enough worked faster than hers and he stabbed her in the shoulder before she got the chance, pushing her to side.

"You alright Jean?" he asked, holding his lover who delicately touched the now forming bruise on her face. "Fine, fine, I just gotta……………look out!" she cried as she pulled Logan to the ground along with her, just barely dodging another mini-explosive that was hurled at her by a glowing red, smirking mutant.

Logan growled. "You'll pay for that."

………….

Meanwhile, as Logan and Jean endured their own fighting, Storm and Scott were holding their own as well, Storm lifting herself in the air and striking as many mutants possibly with a few lightning bolts she conjured up and Scott going in combat with a few choice mutants of his own.

A few of the henchmen had spotted the trainees however and they smirked realizing, they were sitting ducks and the easiest to attack.

Noticing the approaching mutants, Kitty's heart began pounding with fear and she sat up from her watching spot, preparing to begin to head in the other direction. Although they have had many training sessions in the Danger room with plenty of artificial stimulations, she didn't think anything could prepare them for the real thing. The _real_ bad guys.

"This doesn't look good you guys" she said clearing her mind to prepare to go into faze mode if need be.

"Bring it on" John said excitedly, smirking to himself while flicking open his lighter. "I haven't seen any action all day"

"John don't" Bobby cautioned. The henchmen were gradually making their advancement closer towards the poor trainees, and with each step forward, they took one step back. "They told us to stay here"

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, that really isn't an option right now Bobby" Jubilee snapped, also juggling a few firecrackers between her fingers.

"I'm warning you guys, Scott's gonna' be really pissed." He said, backing up with the others as well.

"Either he's pissed, or we die" Peter said, shielding himself in his metal guard. "Now John!" he cried.

The pyromaniac didn't need to be told twice and without any further stalling he flickered a small flame in the lighter, that grew rapidly into a huge ball of fire, which he used in his flamethrower technique to litter the ground in front of the ascending mutants with fire.

Assuring they wouldn't cross the fiery line, Jubilee fired off a few firecrackers in the mix giving the blaze a couple of explosions and Bobby followed suit with a thick wall of ice in front of them, set in between two trees to halt any mutants that were brave enough to cross.

"C'mon!" he said, leading the others around their booby trap. "Let's help the other's out!" he said.

John rolled his eyes. _"Oh now he chooses to go against orders"_ he thought while running along side them.

Once they reached the team, they realized that they pretty much had things wrapped up, with one or two more mutants to ward off, but upon seeing the younger bunch, the X-men were to say the least, unhappy.

"What are you doing here?!" Storm asked, touching base on the ground and punching some insect looking guy away from Jean, sending him to the floor.

Scott did the same, only with a blast to a scaly looking guy and joined the others. "I thought we told you to stay put!" he said, clearly upset they put themselves in the line of danger.

"We were!" Kitty defended. "But they were going to attack us and so we had to make a break for it" she said.

"So you came here?" he asked. "Why didn't you find another safe spot?" he asked. "God, what have you guys been doing during training, sleeping?!" he explained.

"Hold it twinkle toes" Logan interrupted, before Cyclops could begin his ranting and raving.

"What Logan this is no time for………."

"Where's the kid?"

There was a pause among them, as everyone seemed to look behind their shoulders for Rogue. Events were unfolding so quickly and she had been so quiet, they hadn't even noticed she was missing.

"Oh God, she was right behind me, I swear" Bobby cried.

It was at that exact moment, that Scott swore his heart skipped a beat. Maybe two.

Everything was happing so fast and he barely had time to react to them being attacked more or less Rogue going missing.

"You lost a teammate!" Ororo wailed. She could feel herself, along side Scott, panicking as well. In all her years of being an X-men, they have _never_ lost a teammate on a group mission and it only took one time, one mission with the youngsters for them to loose someone. Such a thing was simply inexcusable; they were trained to always stick together. Even if they were to split up, they were always to have at least one buddy with them and one link of communication to the others.

Storm could feel her lungs closing in and the others as well.

"Oh shit, the professor is going to kill us" Jean said, refraining from panicking as well. She knew she had been a little mean to the girl before but that didn't mean that she wanted her to be taken by Magneto or one of his henchmen; that was just mean.

"Guys we swear, she was right behind us two seconds ago!" Bobby defended. "Maybe she's still back there or she's………………"

"Scott! Scott!" came the cry of the girl in question as she began running toward them, her uniform torn at the shoulders and tears pouring down her eyes.

There was a breath of relief as they say her approaching them, feeling ten times better that, this little frantic dilemma didn't last over 5 minutes.

"Rogue!" Scott cried, pausing from his panic and worry and running toward her. He'd lecture them later, right now he needed to make sure she was ok.

"Scott!" she cried back. "Scott I—"

Worse case scenario reared it's ugly head again and before she finish another syllable a huge purple and black looking mutant with wings ejecting from his back and claws for feet, swooped down and snatched Rogue from off the ground, flying away with his prize in hand.

"Ah!" Rogue cried and Scott ran after her, clearly shocked he hadn't seen the mutant coming.

"No!" he cried chasing after it. "Rogue!!"

"Scott!" she called after him flailing her arms and legs while in captivity of the giant bird. "Scott!"

"Rogue no!" he yelled. Now his panic had returned and he was becoming worried beyond all belief. First she had went missing now she's been snatched right off the ground like a mouse by an eagle. "_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, this is not happening, this is not happening"_ his mind raced.

"Guys we have to do something, we have to do something now!" he yelled to the team still running after her and they followed in tow.

By now poor Cyclops was doing more than panicking. He was damn near hyperventilating on the fact alone that they had been attacked so suddenly and his new found happiness had been swept away by some creepy looking henchman for Magneto.

This was all happening way to quickly. Not more than 15 minutes ago Rogue was safe and within his line of protection and now here she was being carried away by this overgrown bird.

Well Scott would be dammed if he was going to let her get away. Not now, not like this, no way!

He was happy with her and he was nowhere close to loosing that happiness; especially with someone as special as Rogue.

"Rogue!" he cried again, running as fast as his legs could take him to keep up with the oversized crow. He held a finger to his visor, trying to get a shot off at the bird but his better judgment told him he should wait because with how sloppily the bird was flying, he had a good chance of missing and hitting Rogue instead.

"Storm, could you fly up and catch her?" Logan asked and the whether witch nodded, lifting her arms out and summoning the air.

"I can try" she said as she hoisted herself up in the air and followed the winged creature.

"Scott!" Rogue cried again still struggling against the might of the claws that raked into her skin. "Lemme' go you big bird!"

Following the bird's path of flight, Bobby spotted a huge crater within their trail and a light bulb dinged in his head, a brilliant idea coming to mind.

"John" he called out to his best friend, seeing if he came to the same idea and when Pyro gave him a nod of approval, the two boys ran ahead of the group, making sure they reached the crater well ahead of time.

"Where are you going?" Jean asked, keeping an eye on them and an eye on Storm as well who was trying to figure out a way to release Rogue without having her plunge to the ground.

Once they reached the crater Bobby looked up at Rogue and the mutant to make a good time judgment before giving John another look of approval. "You ready?" he asked.

"Let's do it"

Throwing his arms in the air, Bobby laid enormously thick layers of ice, over the crater making sure to cover it fully, while John busted huge amounts of flames from the tiny flicker of his lighter and sprayed it over the ice, melting it faster than one could say "Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore".

Seeing that their newly acquired lake was deep enough, or rather hoping that their newly acquired lake was deep enough, Bobby turned to the mutated big bird to see that they were right on schedule and he whistled loudly enough to catch his attention, forming a ball of ice in his hands.

"Hey!" he cried. "Over here big bird!" Tossing the ball of ice as hard he could, John accompanied it with a swirl of fire around it and luckily for Bobby (as his aim wasn't the best in the world) it hit the bird square in the head.

The oversized crow squawked in pain and immediately released Rogue to tend to it's wound causing the girl to scream bloody murder as she dropped from a dangerous height in the air, into a freezing cold lake, crashing in with an audible smack. The kind of smack you hear when an over weight person does a belly flop into the pool from a diving board stationed a good yard or two in the air.

Bobby and John cringed from their spots at the shore. "That didn't sound good man" John said.

"No Rogue!" Scott cried as he reached the shore along side the others, searching helplessly among the ripples of water.

"Are you two insane!" Logan screamed as he reached the shore as well briefly wondering if Bobby and John had lost their marbles. What they did was quick thinking he'd admit, but a drop that high into water they weren't even sure was fully defrosted could kill a person.

"Bobby, John, what were you thinking!" Storm yelled as well as she landed next to them.

"Rogue!" Scott screamed out to the shores, trudging into the water knee deep for any signs of her.

A few minutes passed and the water settled showing absolutely no movement coming from beneath it and he was almost positive she was killed.

Who knew how deep that crator was, or how much force it took for her body to slice through the water molecules. She could have broken every bone in her body.

"Jean?" Scott asked helplessly, hoping the telepath picked up any signs of her.

Jean focused in as hard she could, for any faint signs of Rogue's thinking, but with everyone's panic bombarding her thoughts, it was hard to pick up the slightest trace of poor little Marie. Had she been struggling to get free from the water, sure she would have heard her loud and clear, but most likely had she survived a fall like that she was unconscious and she really needed a clear mind from her and everyone else to catch that.

Trying a little harder to pick up any traces, Jean sighed as she looked up at Scott, shaking her head solemnly as she felt the tears sting her eyes. She knew she was jealous of Rogue and hadn't done the nicest of things to her, but she would have never, ever wished for this sort of thing to happen. Ever,

Scoot tried to contain his panic and contain his anger and his frustration and his everything as he tried to react to what was unfolding in front of him. Everything had happened so fast. Just as fast as when Logan had used Rogue for his sick mind games and in a scenario like this, probably a lot faster.

Scott couldn't loose Rogue, not now, not here, and not like this. They had just barely gotten together and had just found happiness in each other, he couldn't loose her now.

He could feel the tears burning his eyes and he prayed for anything, any sort of movement that proved she was alive.

"Rogue!" he cried helplessly, looking out over the lake to find any sort of movement.

"Oh God" Jubilee said with a hand to her mouth as she and the others, like Scott, looked out over the lake for any signs of life. They couldn't believe they had lost their friend so quickly.

One lone tear rolled down his cheek as the realization of the very big possibility of Rogue actually being dead suddenly hit him. He couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe he had lost her.

She was right there, right there nearly five feet in front of him and he'd allowed her to slip out of his grasp. He'd allowed her to be captured and killed.

Just this morning she was with him and now she was gone.

She hadn't chosen to save anyone from life threatening damage like Jean did, and no one could have seen her death coming. She was taken so quickly and so violently, and it broke Scott down to pieces.

He loved her.

……………………………..

Cliffhanger folks! Hehehehe. Is Rogue dead? Is she alive? Review and tell me what you think!!


	15. Scott's Love

Of Jealousy and Love ch 15

As you can see I'm working with an AU here since Jean's death and Rogue being projected form the blackbird was mentioned several times in this story but Jean is still alive. I don't really have any explanation for that but just use your imagination; it's anything you want it to be!

…………………………

"She's gone" Logan murmured to himself, in just as much disbelief as the others. He couldn't believe she was gone. She was taken so fast and so quickly, they barely had time to react and to save her. Rogue was gone.

He could feel the tears stinging his eyes as the realization of it all rolled onto him like steady waves. Rogue was gone; she was dead. No matter how many times he repeated it, it barely sounded like reality.

She was just there with them, not more than fifteen minutes ago and now she was buried at the bottom of the lake, body crushed into the half frozen water under immense pressure.

Logan felt anger, sadness, frustration, confusion, sorrow, and pity build up inside him and he didn't know how to react. Part of him wanted to drop down on the floor and cry, part of him wanted to claw that bird to death, and another part of him wanted to jump into the lake and search for her, not believing she was dead for one second.

How could this happen? How could this happen to someone as innocent as poor little Rogue?

Suddenly, at the mention of innocence, regret began to wash over him.

Rogue had died, most likely in fear, but with anger towards him.

She was annoyed and frustrated with him for breaking her heart and falling for his mind tricks and two weeks ago she had sworn him out of her life.

Logan had never thought twice when he was doing these things to her because he was so overwhelmed with the jealousy of her seeing his arch nemesis that he hadn't even thought about if those encounters with her would be the last and if he really wanted to leave it on that note.

Rogue never deserved any of the things he did to her, he'd admit, but at the time being it seemed like it was best for her and it's what needed to be done. Sure he hated the way it made her feel, but he figured eventually, somehow she'd get over it. But now she couldn't because she was dead.

Rogue was dead and she died hating him.

This was not something the Wolverine wanted.

The thought of it made him even more miserable and he couldn't bear hiding the tears any longer. "She's gone" he said again, crumpling up his face in absolute pity. "She's gone, she's gone, she's gone"

Upon hearing this however, Scott cringed from his spot at the lake and whirled around to face Logan.

The last thing he needed right now was to hear such words from Logan, or anyone else for that matter because he was convinced that she was still alive. There was no way that Rogue could be taken from him, absolutely no way she could be. This was surreal; it was all a big joke the cosmos were playing on him, a lesson he was being taught by God because this was absolutely not happening.

He was convinced she was still alive. Somewhere, somehow, in that freezing cold lake, Rogue was lying there, waiting for someone to rescue her and he was sure as hell he was going to do it.

Rogue couldn't have been killed by that, she just couldn't. Not only were the mechanics of it truly mind-boggling but he wouldn't allow it to be true. He knew she was alive, he knew she was in there somewhere. It wasn't Rogue's time to die, not here, not now, not like this. Rogue was so young and she had so much to live for, and she wasn't going to loose it all now.

And Scott defiantly wasn't going allow anyone to say anything otherwise.

Trudging out of the freezing cold water and glaring at Logan, Scott angrily grabbed him by the collar to yell at him for making such an accusation.

"No!" he cried. "She's not dead! She's not dead!" he repeated like a parrot. "Don't you ever say she's dead!"

Logan however was too wrapped up in his own wallowing to care. He only dropped to his knees and kept trying to hold back the tears for his own pride, yet trying to let them out from his own frustration.

"She's gone" he said again. "I can't believe she's gone"

"No!" Scott cried. "Don't say that!" he yelled. "She's not dead!"

Slowly Scott was beginning to break down, being reassured with every passing second that Rogue was dead. The water was murky and still and there were no movements whatsoever coming from within. He was beginning to become absorbed by the sorrow and the pain from the others and as much as he hoped she was alive, and as much as he tried to resist her being dead, the facts were weighing themselves in.

Finally Scott lost it and completely broke down into tears, falling down to his knees as well and banging his fists in the snow from frustration. How could she be taken from her like this? How could she die?

Scott had had way to many good things taken away from him. _Way too many_ good things. Each time he found a little reassurance in something, it was yanked away, never to be seen again, and this time was no different.

He and Rogue were so happy. They've only been together a short while but they were so happy. He loved seeing the look on her face, he loved holding her for protection, holding her for comfort or holding her just because. He loved seeing her, he loved hearing her voice, he loved watching her, he loved being with her, he just loved her all around.

Most people would be convinced that it would take much longer than two weeks to declare you r love to someone, but not for Scott; he was convinced. He knew he loved her and he knew they were meant to be.

There was no comparison towards Rogue and Jean because, Rogue was ten times better than Jean in every way. Rouge would never do anything to hurt him or break his heart, and she enjoyed hearing his opinions and sharing his views, and was never close-minded.

He loved her, he absolutely loved everything about her and it was hard to accept for one minute that she was dead.

Denial was beginning to set in again as Scott was positive, she wasn't dead; she couldn't be. He was not about to loose another great thing in his life. Not now, not here, not now. He was not going to be alone and miserable any longer. He was going to be happy and he was going to be happy with Rogue because he knew, she was alive.

………….

Meanwhile the rest of the team struggled to see Logan and Scott in such horrible conditions.

Most of them, Jean excluded, had only seen the two cry once in front of public and that had been at the loss of the Dr. herself. But none of them could be sure if it was that bad then as it was now. The two were literally braking down in front of them, leaning on each other for support.

Their sorrow alone, along with the sudden death of their loved teammate, was drawing them to tears as well.

Jubilee and Kitty leaned on each other and cried for support, Peter stood there, military style and murmured a soft prayer to himself while kissing his cross, Jean cried silent tears unsure of what to do or what to say next and Storm fought back the chokes and the tears as best she could, trying to remain strong for the others, but her sadness was clearly displayed by the darkening of the clouds in the sky.

John and Bobby however, felt the guiltiest of them all, feeling half responsible for their teammates lost life. Although they had only been trying to help, and had used rather quick judgment to save her, they hadn't really assessed the situation fully and hadn't determined if the crater was deep enough to fall into without crushing a body to pieces or even if John had thawed the ice thorough enough to send someone crashing into it, from X amount of feet in the air. The whole thing was incredibly risky and they had taken a chance and lost a life. One of their good friends lives at that, and they couldn't help but feel at fault.

And if that wasn't enough, among the guilty crew was poor ol' Dr. Jean Grey as, the instant death of a former student, shocked her and made her regret her actions as well.

Suddenly she regretted all the mean tricks she played on Rogue and how much jealousy she held for her. Yes she was admitting it, _jealousy. _

She was jealous that she had gotten together with her ex-fiancé and she had taken it out on the poor unsuspecting girl without so much as a heart to try and feel for her and where she was coming from.

But despite all her jealousy, she would have never wished death on the poor girl; she hadn't done anything to deserve it; no one had. And it was shameful that she died the way she did and with a hate for Jean locked up inside.

She probably knew that Jean was jealous of her, and it hurt Jean inside to know she died that way.

Like Logan, Jean figured she'd get over it one day sooner or later because what she was doing was for her own good, but she hadn't wanted Rogue to die mad at her.

Rogue was one of her favorite students; so bright and optimistic despite all the hurt and pain that was around her. She was jealous of her; she didn't hate her. And now she was dead and there was no way to communicate that to her. And that just made Jean feel awful.

………

Still watching the two men weep, Storm gave them a sympathetic look, sighing as she wrapped her arms around the both of them and began murmuring a silent prayer to each of them, in memory of their teammates death.

Hearing her commit to this made Scott boil inside because he was still very much in denial. Rogue was not dead, he was sure. Rogue was still alive.

"No!" he cried, breaking free of the embrace. "Don't you say your prayers yet!" he yelled. "Not yet! Rogue is still alive I know it!"

"Scott please" Storm begged, her voice just above a whisper. She knew very well poor Scott was in denial; he was like this all the time when he was upset. He'd stay in denial for the longest period of time until he was forced to face reality, and it'd only hurt him more.

"No!" he said. "She's not dead Storm, she's not dead!"

Storm just plastered a sad frown on her face while Scott sighed in frustration.

Why weren't they understanding? Why weren't they seeing his point?

Rogue wasn't dead, she was alive, and they needed to start looking for her. He didn't want to loose another loved one in his live, he wasn't going to loose another loved one in his life; he knew it; he could feel it. And he knew Rogue was alive.

"Scott please don't be hard on yourself" Jean begged.

"I'm not!" he yelled at her this time instead of yelling in general. He was beginning to grow angry they weren't listening to him, and he knew there wasn't time to waste, they needed to look for her now. They needed to find his loved one. "Rogue is out there Jean, and we can find her." Jean shook her head solemnly. "Now if we just take the jet and we search for any heat waves in the area we can………….."

Again Jean shook her head solemnly. Even if they had tried that her body was probably darn near frozen from the ice cold water and it would be damn near impossible to find any traces. "Mmm, mmm, Scott. We………….."

"No!" he yelled. "We can find her Jean, she's out there."

"Scott" Ororo cut in this time.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! She's alive dammit! SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Scott screamed at the top of his lungs, ripping off his visors and emitting a powerful blast of beams from his eyes. It was probably the most powerful emission he's ever created (on the count that it came from his emotions) for the optic blasts tore through the lake, slicing the water straight down the middle and sending it flying through the air, vaporizing right on the spot.

It amazed them all how powerful Scott could be when he wanted to and how he was able to tear apart a lake at ease. But what awed them the most wasn't the disappearance of the lake, but rather what was lying in the middle of it, once the water was cleared.

As Scott dropped to his knees and grabbed his visors, he shakily put them back on, breathing hard while trying to recover from that immense display of power. He was physically and emotionally drained, no more tears and no more pain left in side him, just a hollow emptiness, soon to be filled with sorrow once again when he came back to reality, which was Rogue's death.

Or was it?

…………………….

Staring closer at the object lying in the middle of the now dry mini-lake, the gang tried to figure out if what they were seeing wasn't a hallucination before they reacted.

No, it sure wasn't. What they were seeing was really true. It was Rogue! It was Rogue lying there in the middle of the lake! And she was in one piece! She hadn't been crushed to pieces.

"Oh my God" Storm said, quietly to herself at first, a cupped hand making it's way to her gapping mouth. "Oh my God" she repeated. "Guys! Guys look!"

But they were way ahead of her, already spotting their precious teammate from moments before the whether Goddess.

"Scott" Strom said happily, helping her colleague up off the floor. "Scott, Scott look!" she said.

Looking out to the once again empty crater, Scott squinted toward the direction in which Storm was pointing, making sure he saw correctly before he reacted.

He was more than delighted to see that he had seen correctly. It was her! It was Rogue! She was alive. Well at least, he strongly hoped she was alive and hadn't been under water for too long.

"Rogue!" he cried happily, straightening himself up and heading towards her before any of the others got the chance.

"Rogue!" he cried again, the rest following in tow.

……..

When he finally reached her she was needless to say, a sight for sore eyes, and she was pretty banged up, but at least she was here, she was with him and she was alive.

Well at least he hoped she was alive, she'd been underwater for a while now and could very well be drowned.

As he reached leaned his ear down toward her nose, he panicked when he found she wasn't breathing so he quickly grabbed a hold of her wrist only to find that he pulse was racing. In some way that was a good sign; good because she was alive, bad because if they didn't so something soon, she wouldn't be that way for very long.

"She's not breathing" Scott informed the others, once they finally made their way over, Jean and Storm kneeling next to her.

Jean placed to fingers beside her neck, relieved to feel a pulse. "She's still alive" she informed the others and they all inhaled, exhaled, sighed, gasped, and breathed with relief.

"Her pulse is racing Jean" Scott informed, laying her down flat to prepare for CPR.

"Wait, be careful" Jean cautioned as he helped him lay her down steadily, quickly scanning her body for any broken bones. So far she didn't see anything but she didn't want to take the risk.

"Be careful Scott, she might have a few fractured or broken ribs."

Scott nodded, duly noting the warning but more concerned about saving the girl in front of him.

He kneeled in front of her, placing two hands upon her chest and sturdily pumping it with ten counts, before pinching her nose shut and holding her mouth open, forcing air into her passage ways.

No luck.

"C'mon, Rogue, c'mon" he said, going at it for another ten counts before pushing air into her lungs once more and turning to Jean for a response.

"Hurry Scott, her pulse is still racing"

Scott tried once more, begging her in his mind to snap awake, dreading of coming this far and loosing her. They had been so close; so darn close and he couldn't loose her now, not when he came this close to having her again.

"C'mon Rogue, C'mon!" he begged, feeling the tears forming at his eyes once more but determined not to let them fall. He was not going to loose her, he just wasn't.

"Hurry Scott" Jean cautioned again.

So he tried again, this time 12 counts instead of ten, but still no such luck.

"C'mon Rogue, please don't die. You can make it, please don't die" Jubilee pleaded to her unconscious friend, gripping onto Peter for dear life.

"Scott hurry" Jean said again.

"_Don't die on me Rogue"_ Scott thought. "_Don't die on me Marie"_

With the final force of air, Jean was just about remove her fingers from Rogue's neck, losing all hope but it was then that her eyes decided to snap open and she painfully shot up, furiously coughing to let go whatever water was still stuck in her lungs.

The group cheered her revival and Scott felt darn near close to passing out from the roller coaster of emotions he was experiencing.

At last she was back! She wasn't dead and he knew it! Rogue was alive! Rogue was alive! Rouge was alive! And she was safe and she'd be able to be in his arms once again.

Still coughing furiously, she was aided by Storm with a few gentle pats on the back to help relieve some of the tension and she even regurgitated just a little, to get her systems back in order.

But Scott didn't care. As soon as her little coughing frenzy was over, he wrapped her the biggest, most loving and relieved hug he's ever given, letting a few tears roll down his cheeks to accompany his joy.

"Oh God Marie!" he said, holding her closer to him, but careful not to crush her or any of her possible broken bones. "Don't you ever do that to me again do you understand?" he reprimanded. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

Marie was in an utter state of shock and confusion for she had just awoke from darkness, and had thrown up water and air, and now Scott was hugging her in a death trap, telling her to promise never to do whatever it was she did to him. Her head felt like an 18 wheeler rolled over it, backed up and rolled over it again and she was colder than a Bare naked Santa Clause, streaking through the north pole, but part of her sane judgment told her that whatever it was she did, it must have been bad to have Scott worried like this. So she went along with it and promised him.

"I promise I won't Scott" she said, her voice horse and dry from coughing so wildly. "I promise"

……………………………

Haha!!! You didn't seriously think I was going to kill Rogue did you? C'mon now, I'm not that mean! Lol. Ok well maybe the cliffhanger was a little mean but I wouldn't do that to poor ol' Scott and my lovable ol' readers!

You'll have to excuse me though, normally I'm not much of an action buff, because my writing in action isn't worth beans and my last chapter was my first attempt. But I'm clad you like it and I hope you liked this chapter too. As always review!!!


	16. The conversation after

Of Jealousy and Love ch 16

……………………………………..

She was immediately rushed back to the jet and stripped of her uniform, left in her underwear while wrapped heavily in blankets like a newborn baby. She was trembling cold, teeth chattering, nose tipped pink and skin pale white, and Jean feared that she might suffer from hypothermia if her body temperature wasn't properly brought back to normal.

Jean tried turning on the heater to the jet, hopping Rogue would be able to sit in there and warm up a bit but with just their luck, Magneto and one of his henchmen had short circuited the jet not only leaving the Blackbird pretty much without power, but leaving the X-men and trainees stranded there over night until Jean could fix the darn thing.

Just freaking fabulous. This is so far from what they needed right now.

While Scott had ordered the others to set up camp and find wood to build a fire, Jean began assessing the damage to the Blackbird figuring out what exactly needed to be fixed, while Storm dug around for some antiseptic.

Rogue had been cut pretty badly by that bird creature's claws (among other bruises she had gained from slamming into the freezing cold water), and the last thing they wanted was for her to be saved from drowning in ice cold water, and then die of an infection a few days later.

Meanwhile Scott lay with his love in the middle of the Blackbird, rubbing her arms and legs from atop the blankets and trying his best to circulate heat into her.

Words could not describe how relieved he was right now because it was hard to convince a team that believed the love of his life was dead, was still alive. And to confirm his beliefs, and see them play out right in front of him made him as happy as can be. Probably the happiest he's been in his entire life.

The love of his life was alive.

And yes he admitted it, the love of his life.

It's only been too weeks, two short weeks and yet he's dubbed her as such. He didn't care if she felt the same about him to the extent that he did but he'd shout it on the mountaintops that Rogue was indeed the love of his life.

It was funny, he never thought of himself to be one of those people to claim they loved someone after knowing them for such a short time. When he's seen such things on television and in the movies, he just thought they were all crazy. You had to know someone well and date them for a great deal of time to give them that title.

But after experiencing it first hand, he now knew what they were talking about; he now knew what it was like to be with someone for such a short period of time but care for them so much. And that's exactly how he felt about Rouge.

He panicked when he saw her swept away by that bird, he panicked when he saw her fall in the lake and he more than panicked when he thought she was dead.

If Rogue had died, Scott honestly didn't know what he'd do with his life. Jean had moved on, Rogue would be dead and where would he be? Heartbroken twice in a row with nothing to do but mourn her death and walk around the mansion like a ghost.

He needed her. He needed her to be his love; he needed her for comfort, joy, hope, love, fun, laughter, happiness. He needed Rogue to be with him; and he was glad she was.

It was then that Storm approached them, antiseptic, bandages, a washcloth, a dry towel and a bowl of hot water in her hands.

"Hey" she said, kneeling softly next to the couple and setting the supplies down. "How's she doing?" she asked.

"She's still freezing, I think she may need to sit by the fire, the Blackbird is ice cold by now."

"Well the others are still out looking for fire wood but they shouldn't be much longer. I think they've got a pile big enough to hold us through"

"Great"

Storm smiled slightly, turning her attention to Rogue. "Rogue honey" she addressed her, dipping the washcloth in the warm water and then wringing it out. "Rogue sweetheart I'm going to clean up your cuts a bit ok? It might sting a little, but I need you to stay strong for me alright? Me and Scott will be right here."

In the midst of her trembling, Rouge nodded, still clutching to herself and the blankets to keep warm.

"Alright then, Scott could you help me out here?" the whether witch asked, waiting for Scott to hold her up while Storm lowered the blankets from her top half. She cringed at the sight of the scratches on shoulders and upper back and the bruises that covered the rest of her body. She was defiantly going to feel that for a few more days.

Using the warm washcloth she wiped the infected area as clean as she could, getting rid of any dirt or dried blood that had accumulated. Rogue stayed quiet through most of it, the warm sensation from the cloth brining her comfort rather than pain.

But then came the antiseptic. As a child when she used to get scrapes and scratches she'd always run it under hot water and hope for the best because she _hated_ the stinging of the medicine. But now that she had cuts as big as these, she could barely find it manageable to handle the pain.

When she was in the claws of the bird, she hadn't even felt his sharp daggers digging into her skin because she was so concerned with trying to fight him off. But now that she was fully conscious and aware of the pains on her body, the after effects of the scratches and the bruises she gained, along with the shivering were putting her in so much pain, she wanted to cry out in agony.

And that's exactly what she did. Each time, Storm dabbed a little bit of antiseptic onto her cuts, Rogue cried out from the stinging sensation, crumpling up her body in an even tighter ball and trying to think about anything but the pain. But it was hard to do. Her muscles ached from shivering, her body ached from the bruises, her head was pounding, and her cuts stung beyond belief. She was in sheer agony and she wished she could absorb some of Logan's healing powers and take it from there but she didn't want the drama that came along with that.

Meanwhile, Storm and Scott felt sorry for the poor girl, knowing how much pain she must be in and how much this must he hurting her. Storm felt bad applying the antiseptic after seeing her reaction to it, and Scott just hated seeing her in pain so he felt pity for her as well.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry" Storm said, dabbing a little more on her and Rogue whimpered again, clutching hard onto the blanket, burying her face into Scott's chest.

"It's ok Marie. It's all going to be ok. It's almost over, almost over with." Scott comforted, sweeping a curtain of metallic hair from her eyes.

A few more dabs here and a few more dabs there and she was finally all cleaned up. Storm applied the bandages where need be and placed the blankets back around her, smiling a small smile and rubbing her gently in reassurance. "There, all done" she said. "And you're such a trooper; I'm proud of you" she added.

She gathered her things and got up to put them back in their rightful places in the jet, watching as Scott got back to rubbing her for warmth.

She really was amazed at how much Scott cared for Rogue. It's not like she hadn't expected him to do so or anything but just to see him have so much love for someone who brightened his world and made his day better, made her happy to see.

Although Storm would never admit to any of these things out loud, she knew that Rogue had a few qualities different from Jean that made the bond between her and Scott stronger than it's been with he and Jean.

Jean was a bit unstable; everyone who knew her well knew that about her. Nobody blamed her for this characteristic because they all knew she was battling with two identities and two ways of life and trying to figure out which path to take, being Jean Grey or being the Phoenix. As a result her emotions were a little out of line sometimes because of the self-battle she's been fighting inside. And that's fine; nobody treats her any differently.

But then when you come across a guy like Scott who's completely fine with himself and is just looking for someone to love, the two didn't really fit so well together.

Storm always figured that's why Jean had a thing for Logan and eventually left to be with him because both of them had so many things in common and were so spontaneous and adventurous because they were fighting the internal battle of their lives and sometimes found it to be way easier just to say, "screw it" and enjoy the lives they've got going on.

Then you've got someone like Rogue who like Scott was in no shape or form going through a mental identity crisis and was just looking for someone to love and for someone to love her back.

And so she found Scott. And what a lovely couple they made.

Scott cared so much for her, and his immense display of power at the lake was more than enough to prove it. She's never seen his react that way to anything and she never seen him evaporate water in 5 seconds flat with said reaction. She guessed that's what people meant by, _The Power of Love_ and what an immense power it was.

She smiled. It was good to see Scott happy for once. Not running around, fretting about Jean being with Logan or is she cheating on me or does she love me? Just being himself, good ol' Cyclops with a woman by his side to care for. It's been years since he's last been like that, and it was good to see him back.

In the midst of warming Rogue, Scott noticed that Storm was looking down at him while wiping her hands clean with a paper towel, smiling proudly.

He wondered what she was smiling at. Did she really find this whole thing to be amusing?

"What?" he asked with a little smile. He always thought of Storm as a little sister to him, the good kind of little sister, the one older brothers got along with and took care of. So even in the worst of situations, when he saw her smiling, it made him smile.

"Nothing, nothing" she said, while disposing of the paper towel and kneeling next to him again. "I was just thinking"

"Thinking about what?"

"Thinking about how much you care for her" she admitted, giving Rogue a smile and a reassuring stroke of her hair.

Scott smiled as well, looking down at her. "Yea I do" he sighed. "A lot"

"I would certainly say so" Storm agreed. "I've never seen you display such immense power before"

Scott sighed, reflecting on what he did earlier. Though he had wished he hadn't shown such vast emotions in front of the younger ones, at the moment he was feeling as though his heart was being ripped open and he was willing to do anything necessary to save his love. But Storm was right; that was an immense amount of power. He didn't think he's done anything like that since…….well since his parents died. And yet it just proved to be another reason why he loved her.

"Yea" he agreed again. "I'd do anything for her Storm" he said. "Absolutely anything"

Storm placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "And she deserves it." She said. "You're a good guy Scott, it's nice to know that with her, you can just be yourself again"

"Thanks"

Storm threw him a wink. "Don't mention it" she said getting back up to her feet. Heading for the control panel, Storm lowered the ramp to the Blackbird, beginning to make her descend to the ground but stopped short to say one last thing. "Oh and Scott" she called, grabbing the attention of her teammate.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Welcome back"

Scott smiled.

………………………………..

A few hours later and Rogue had finally reached a temperature warm enough to be left on her own, so she was wrapped up in a few sweats and socks (found in the jet of course) and placed in one of the tents for a good nights rest.

As for the rest of the team, they were enjoying a nice dinner, or trying to at least, sitting in a circle among the fire, trying to get Rogue's status off their minds.

But it was hard to do.

Guilt was shared between, Bobby, John, Logan and Jean, and sadness and pity was shared between the rest for their friend being in the condition she was. She couldn't even eat when Scott tried to feed her because her muscles were so cramped from shivering and her stomach was rejecting everything that was put in it. How could they be enjoying themselves when their friend was in such pain?

Scott and Storm seemed to be the only ones who weren't as pessimistic as the others and were trying their best to lighten the moods just a little.

"So….uh……..Logan" Storm began, setting her plate on the ground and wiping her mouth free of any remnants with her napkin. "That's uh, some pretty great trout you cooked there. Beats our canned stuff any day" she complimented, mustering up a smile. When Jean had originally brought out the food they kept stored in one of the jet's compartments, Logan had abruptly replied to it with a "hell no" and went to find the nearest lake to catch some fish. Storm was surprised with limited supplies (and the nearest lake being a mile plus away) he had actually managed to spruce up a good meal.

"Thanks" Logan grumbled to himself, taking a sip of his bottled water. He really wished it was beer. Oh how he could use a beer right now.

Storm turned to Scott who helplessly shrugged.

"And uhhh, Jean?" she began. "How are the jet repairs coming along?"

Jean sighed poking at her trout with her fork. "I don't know" she said. "There's still a lot to re-wire. We might be here for a few more hours."

Now Storm sighed. "And what about you kids?" she asked her former students. "How are you guys enjoying the experience?"

They each took their turns giving her dry looks. Just exactly what was she so chipper about?

"This is enjoyment?" Jubilee asked.

"I'd hate to see hell" John murmured.

"You have to ask?" Bobby retorted.

Storm sighed again. "Guys please" she begged. "She's fine ok. You don't have to worry about her, Rogue is a survivor"

Everyone's stares diverted to their food or to the ground.

"Scott please help me out here" Ororo pleaded.

Scott sighed, setting down his plate and adjusting himself in his seat. "Guys" he began. "Listen, all of you." Everyone took their eyes away from wherever they had wondered to look at their leader. "Rogue is fine ok; she's going to be alright. You don't have to worry about her. Saving the worrying for me, she's going to be just fine"

"But how can we not worry Mr. S" Kitty asked, sighing to herself.

"Ya" Jubilee agreed. "She's our best friend and we almost lost her"

"_Almost"_ Scott corrected. "But we didn't and she's here and she's with us ok? So be happy, be thankful that we didn't loose her."

"I don't know, it just all felt so real" Peter confessed.

"Ya, well if it hadn't been for the human torch and Ice pop over here maybe it wouldn't have"

Bobby and John cringed.

"Logan!" Jean scolded.

"Logan please don't………….."

"No, no, he's right Ms. Munroe" Bobby interrupted. "We didn't think and we didn't fully assess all the causes and…………it's our fault." He admitted. "If we had let you guys handle it like Mr. Summers said, maybe she would have never been in this mess."

"Or maybe she would have been in the arms of Magneto" Scott replied.

"What?" John asked. "What are you talking about me and Bobby…………."

"You and Bobby had used quick thinking to save a teammate." Scott finished. "And although I have to admit, it wasn't the _best_ way, as there were more cons than pros to the route you took, what you did still shows, confidence, quick judgment and the ability to make a hard decision in a bind, all qualities we're looking for in X-men." He said. "You just need a little practice"

John shot him a quizzical look. "Practice?" he asked.

Cyclops nodded. "Yes practice"

He turned to Bobby who shrugged cluelessly.

"So uhh, let me get this straight?" John asked, trying to understand what he was just told. "You want me and Bobby to practice our so called _quick thinking_?"

"Yes"

"And by practice you mean…………another mission?"

"Possibly"

"One that could possibly endanger someone's life again?" he asked with sheer and utter confusion.

"No!" Scott, Logan, Jean and Storm all replied at once.

John stared wide-eyed.

Scott sighed. "What I mean by practice is, a couple sessions in the danger room and then, when you're ready, you can come out on another mission again."

"So we're sort of suspended then?" he asked.

"No, not suspended" he replied. "More like……………..well…………….."

"Ya you're pretty much suspended kid" Logan finished for him.

Storm glared. "Their not suspended Logan" she corrected. "Look, Bobby, John, all of you. None of you guys did a bad thing ok? You all displayed characteristics today that we're looking for in this team. Courage, Whit, quick judgment, the ability to defend one's self, Nobility, Bravery, everything. And you all have one thing you may be better at than the other person but that's ok, practice makes perfect." She said.

"As for what happened today well…………accidents happen. No mission we go on runs smoothly. But we have to have the ability to deal with these situations when they arise, especially ones where a teammate is lost or injured. We can't fret, we can't panic, and we most certainly can't feel sorry for ourselves. We have to put on a brave face and deal as best we can ok?" Storm reasoned, gently cupping Bobby's chin within her hand and smiling at him, ruffling his hair.

"So uh……………you're not mad at us then?" John asked curiously, poking his trout around his plate like Jean.

"No, we're not mad. We were just…………stressed" she reasoned.

"Ya, maybe this was too much for your first mission" Scott rationalized. "Maybe we need to start you off on something light, something simpler."

"Aw, c'mon don't tell me you're going to have us doing paper work or something" John whined. "That barely constitutes as a job more or less a mission"

"You're not going to be doing paper work" he said with a chuckle. "Maybe something like a mutant search or student recruits. A search and rescue with Magneto involved I think has proven to be a bit………..well…….."

"Much" Storm finished.

"Amen" Jubilee agreed. The others chuckled.

"Well if it's any consolation Mr. Summers" Bobby began. "We're sorry." He apologized. "I mean, we were only trying to help her and well…………we didn't mean for all of…………..this to happen. We won't do it again, we swear"

"Ya, we won't even _think_ about doing something like this again" John agreed.

"It's deleted from our memories" Bobby confirmed. Again the others chuckled. "We know how much she means to you Mr. Summers. And we really are sorry."

Scott smiled to himself, the looks given by Logan and Jean going unnoticed to him. The kids were right; Rogue does mean a lot to him, and it was sincere of them to apologize, even if they didn't have to.

"Thanks, you two" he said with a smile. "Apology accepted"

Bobby smiled as well and even John threw on a little something. He had to admit; it felt good to get things off your chest sometimes. "Your welcome Mr. S"

"And thank you for realizing that." He said graciously. "Because you're right; she does mean a lot to me"

The boys smiled again.

Jean however, glanced back at the tent in which Rogue was resided in then towards Scott, again going unnoticed by her fellow teammate. Although a part of her wished she could stop it, she was beginning to feel that burning sensation, rising in her once again. That hatred, this is wrong, how could he do this sensation.

Weather it was the Phoenix or just plain ol' Jean Grey, she was beginning to grow, jealous once again.

"_Oh Shit"_

……………………………………….

Uh-oh, is the jealousy arising once again? Hmmm, I wonder. You'll never know unless you stay tuned. But in the mean while, press that pretty purple button and review!!!


	17. Love, planning and new relationships

Of Jealousy and Love ch 17

…………………………………….

"Hey hun, how ya feeling?" Scott asked, entering he and Rogue's room with a cup of tea in hand. It had been two days since the near death accident and since then, the X-men have long since returned home and stabilized Rogue in the infirmary, releasing her with only the flu as an aftermath. She was ordered to strict bed rest by Jean and Hank and had just returned to her room a couple of hours ago.

Rogue sneezed again for a reply, taking one of the few remaining tissues from the box and wiping her nose. "Fine I guess" she replied in a stuffy voice, dumping the used tissue in a garbage can near her bed, stuffed to the max with other used tissues. "I just can't figure out if I'm still cold from the whole near hypothermia bit, or if it's the chills that's making me shiver, but either way, I'm still kind of cold" she replied, her voice still stuffed because of congestion, and her red eyes squinting to see Scott.

"Well I can turn up the AC if you want" Scott suggested. "The professor does keep it sort of cold in here"

"No, no" she replied. "It's alright, I'll just double up on blankets"

Scott smiled, sitting down next to her on the bed and setting the tea on the nightstand. "I brought you some tea" he said, motioning to the cup.

"Thanks" she replied happily. "Could always use some more of that." She stacked up the other three mugs that once contained the warm fluid.

"So are you sure you're feeling ok?" Scott asked again.

"I'm fine" she replied exasperatedly for the billionth time. Since she had gotten back Scott kept asking her over and over again if she was alright and she didn't know how many times she'd have to tell him she was ok before he got the picture.

Sure she had just recovered from a near death experience and was now sick as a dog but she was a mutant, a potential X-man, and lived in a boarding school for mutants, this unfortunately, was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I promise, if I feel like I'm dying, you'll be the first to know"

"Even before Hank?"

"Even before Hank"

He smiled again, planting a small kiss on her lips.

She grinned as a response, completely blissful from the tender moment but at the same time a little concerned about her spreading germs. "You're going to get sick if you keep doing that" she informed.

Scott shrugged. "I don't care" he said. "I like kissing you"

Rogue smiled. "Even when I'm all gross and sick like this."

"You're not gross" he said. "Germy, but not gross"

Rogue playfully whacked him on the arm and Scott laughed, sitting on his side of the bed and pulling her into his arms. "I'm just kidding with ya" he said. "I'm just happy that you're ok Rogue" he admitted, planting a kiss atop her head. "You really scared me back there"

"So I heard" she replied. After regaining full consciousness and actually having the ability to focus on what was going on around her other than making the cold go away, Rogue realized that she hadn't remembered a lot of what happened, and her friends gladly took to recapping her on the event. She was stunned to find out that Scott had reacted in the way he did and has dissolved a whole body of water for her; it was probably the most sweet and heroic thing someone has ever done for her in her entire life. And it made her think about her relationship with Scott and how much he cared for her and how much she cared for him. They were really growing a stronger and stronger bond as time went on.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that" she apologized.

"Rogue I told you a million times, you don't have to apologize for what happened. It wasn't your fault, it was an accident."

She scoffed, "Yeah, some accident"

"Rogue…………."

"No, no, I'm sorry if I'm giving you the wrong impression Scott, look I'm not blaming myself, it's just well…………..I mean…………"

"What?" he asked, looking into her eyes now. "What is it?"

"Well I mean Jubilee told me about what you did and at first honestly, I thought she was just exaggerating, you know Jubes."

Scott chuckled. "Yeah, I do"

"But then, when the others told me about it too and told me how much it was true, all I could think was………….Wow"

Scott pondered this for a moment. "A good wow or a bad wow?" he asked.

Rogue giggled gently pushing him. "A good wow silly" she said. "It's just, no one has ever done that for me before Scott. _No one"_ she added. "I mean had it been my parents out there, they probably would've thought I was dead; but you didn't. You didn't give up and you saved me, when everyone else thought I was gone. And it just made me think you know? You must really care about me."

Scott smiled. "I do more than care about you Rogue." He replied. "Look I know these passed to weeks have been absolutely nuts around here and everything's been moving so fast but, I have no doubt in my mind when I say that I love you Rogue and that's why I was more than willing to do what I did. I really, really, love you"

Rogue smiled a giddy smile to herself, loving that pleasant sound to her ears. She'd heard it before from Bobby and the boyfriend she put in a coma, and both of them had made her giddy as well but not as giddy as this. Not as happy as when she heard it from Scott, because with him, she knew that he had really meant it, he had really loved her and wasn't just saying it for the sake of their X month anniversary; Scott had loved her.

And as she thought about it more, it made her realize, she loved him too.

"I love you t………..Ah-choo!" her sneeze interrupted her statement, causing Scott to laugh and Rogue to frown. That's not exactly how she pictured her response going.

"Interrupted by the sneeze again" she replied sniffling her nose with a sigh.

Scott laughed again. "It's alright" he said, handing her a tissue. "I understood what you were going for"

Rogue smiled from underneath the tissue, wiping her nose. "Even if it wasn't all romantic and fluffy?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Yes even if it wasn't all romantic and fluffy"

"Good" she said, repaying him with a kiss. "But just to set the record straight, I love you too"

He smiled, giving her another kiss. "I kind of figured."

………………………..

Jean grimaced, pouting from her spot on the bed and slamming her book down. She had been telepathically eavesdropping on the conversation going on with Rogue and Scott and it was making her fume.

"_But just to set the record straight, I love you too."_ She mocked in her head. "_I kind of figured"_ she mocked again envisioning holding a Rogue and Scott voodoo doll in her hands and ripping their little heads off.

"Oh you make me sick" she mumbled aloud, tossing her book on the nightstand.

"What makes you sick?" came the voice of Logan, raising up from off the floor to address her statement.

Jean snapped out of her little jealous rant to stare at him. She was so caught up in sneaking in on her ex and his new lover that she had briefly forgotten he was there doing his daily rounds of push-ups while watching the hockey game on tv.

"Uhhh…….nothing hun. Just reading up on mutant haters, that's all" she lied, scooting herself on the far side of the bed, to address him properly.

Logan gave her a peculiar look, diving back down for another push up. "I thought you were reading a book?" he asked.

"I was" she replied. "And it just…………..had a little…….mutant controversy in it" Boy she was loosing her touch. She was sure Logan would catch on to that.

Another peculiar look was thrown her way before Logan got stopped his exercising and stood up, wiping his for head with a towel that was near by.

Jean paused to marvel at his sculpted abs, suddenly being reminded of why she cheated on her ex-fiancé.

"Jean" he began, using that all knowing tone of voice. "You were eavesdropping on them again weren't you?"

"No!" she replied quickly. A little too quickly. Logan had defiantly caught on now and was shaking his head in dismay. "I mean no I wasn't eavesdropping on anybody. I was reading my book."

"Right, that's why you're book marker is in the same place" he asked, pointing to the discarded book on the table.

She shot him an annoyed look. "What are you the book police?" she asked, getting up off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

Logan rolled his eyes, turning the tv off. "Jean, just leave them alone would ya, I'm tired of pryin' into their personal life."

"Nobody is prying Logan" she defended, popping her head out the bathroom door with hair brush in hand, running it furiously through her hair. "I'm simply trying to right a wrong"

"What wrong?" he asked, joining her in the bathroom and tossing his towel in the hamper.

"The wrong of a twenty nine year old man and a eighteen year old girl being together. I mean the man was her teacher for crying out loud, he's old enough to be like her Uncle or something." She said.

"Right so it's ok for old perverted geezers to do it but it's wrong for them?"

"Old perverted geezers, don't live in a mansion full of kids" he said pointedly, using her brush as a persuading tool.

"Rich ones do" he shot.

Jean sighed.

"Logan……………"

"Look Jean, I think their relationship is just as wrong as the next guy but it's just………..I'm tired of Rogue being mad at me ok. I mean I know she probably hates me right about now but I still care for her and I don't want to see her hurt, so please Jean, just leave them."

Jean sighed a hardy sigh, reading his emotions like a book. She had felt everything that everyone else was feeling when Rogue had fallen in the lake, and she knew he had felt guilty just like she did.

"It was the accident huh?" she asked. "Made you feel guilty?"

Logan paused and turned to look at her, nodding solemnly. "Yes Jean" he replied. "It did make me feel guilty. I was scared that she was gone, and I didn't want to loose her, especially not when she was mad at me, I don't want her to die being mad at me"

"She won't be mad at you Logan" the red head sighed, setting her brush down. "She'll be happy with you"

Logan paused from wiping his face to give her a raised eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Look" she began, guiding him to the small vanity chair in the bathroom and sitting him down. "If we convince them both, what a stupid idea it is for both of them to be together, and break them up before things go any farther, they'll realize how foolish it was in the first place and thank us for helping them; they'll be happy with us."

Logan remained speechless, unsure of how to respond to an explanation like that. "Jean" he began, confused expression still on his face.

"Hmm?"

"You're absolutely nuts you know that?" he asked and Jean frowned whacking him on the chest.

"Logan I'm serious!" she exclaimed, getting up and standing in front of the mirror, furiously beginning to brush her hair again.

"And I'm serious too" he said, joining her side. "You really are psychotic. What the hell would make you think that they'd be happy with us if we broke them up?"

"Explanation Logan, it's all in the explanation. If we convinced them to think that their relationship is wrong then they'd brake up and thank us for helping them with their problem, it's like the whole, Dr. Phil vs. cocaine user thing you see on tv all the time."

"This has nothing to do with Dr. Phil!" he exclaimed. "And besides, how do you plan to _explain_ things to them huh? You think they're going to listen to us? The only way for us to get things through their heads would be to brain wash th……………you wouldn't seriously consider that would you?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" she stated simply, placing her brush down and re-entering her room.

"Jean Samantha Grey" he scolded, following her. "You wouldn't seriously……."

"No Logan" she sighed exasperatedly. "As easy as it would be, I wouldn't seriously brain wash them." She said. "Jeez, I do have a little something called ethics you know."

"Well considering your little diabolical plan you've got going on here, I'd have to second guess that"

"Logan—"

"No, listen to me Jean. As much as I hate them together, and as much as I know you hate to see them together, you have to promise me that you'll leave them alone."

The redhead sighed, rolling her eyes. She knew it wouldn't be easy convincing him.

"I'm serious" he continued. "I really just can't stand having her mad at me ok. So please promise me you'll leave them alone"

She sighed again, pouting at him like a teenager and looking skyward. "I promise" she said dryly, raising her right hand lazily in scout's honor.

"Jean" he cautioned. That tone was still there; that all knowing tone. "I'm not kidding; promise me"

"Ok, ok" she said giving in. "I really promise you Logan; I'll leave them alone"

Giving her one more suspicious look, when Logan saw that all the malice was gone from her eyes, he finally ginned, trusting her vow and planting a kiss on her lips. "Thank you" he said, flirtingly squeezing her bottom before he left.

Jean squealed from the flirtatious action before smirking to herself and watching him go. "_Of course"_ she thought to herself. "_This is one promise, I am inclined to break"_

………………………………

"Yum, yum, yum, come to Mama" came the soft whisper of young Rogue as she greedily dug through the freezer, hauling out a canister of ice cream that was wedged under a frozen pizza box.

It was late in the night and everyone had long since gone to bed, but poor young Rogue was still wide awake with the sniffles, yearning for something hardy to fill her stomach. All she's had all day was tea and crackers and her stomach was setting off an earthquake inside her body, ordering her to feed it. Of course, since her tongue was lacking any real flavor as well, she was happy to comply.

"Oh sweet mother Mary, I've been missing you" she praised, closing the freezer and popping open the top, grabbing a spoon and digging in.

MMMmmmmmm, the first bite is always the best; filling her mouth with sweet vanilla and chocolaty goodness. She couldn't wait to indulge in more.

Dipping her spoon back into the carton for a second share, she was just about to help herself to another mound of vanilla and chocolate swirls when the kitchen light flickered on and a presence stood in the doorway, two actually, one with his arms crossed over his chest and the other giggling like a school girl while pulling tighter on her robe.

"Gotcha'" came the reply from the giggler, laughing as she entered the kitchen fully, opening the fridge and pulling out a bowl of grapes, lying in the center.

"Rogue" the other voice said warningly, also entering the kitchen and towering over her, giving her a look of disapproval. "What have I told you about eating dairy when you have the flu?" he asked, continuing his look of shame.

Rogue sighed dropping the spoon. "I'm sorry" she said in dismay, looking disappointedly at the carton. One bite; she'd only had one bite, and already she's been caught. "But I was so hungry; I haven't had any real food in………….well, days"

"I understand, but ice cream is not the answer" he said, taking the carton from her and shaking off the remnants from the spoon, putting the top back on. "You'll only make your cold worse"

Rogue sighed again, watching as her sweet carton of ice cream lay in those big blue furry hands of his, so close, yet so far away.

"Oh Hank, don't be so tough on her" came the other voice, taking back the carton and passing it back over to Rogue.

Hooray! Victory again! She wasted no time flipping the top back open and filling her mouth with another sweet spoonful.

"If she wants to have ice cream, let her. She's old enough now to make her own decisions."

Rogue grinned. She always knew Storm was her favorite teacher.

Hank however sighed. "You know, I always ask myself, why did the professor hire me to be this school's physician if everyone here goes against every word I say."

"We don't" Storm said, after swallowing a few grapes. "Just the little nit-picky things"

Hank frowned. "Gee thanks"

Rogue only replied with another, "Mmmmmmm" taking another bite of the vanilla and chocolate swirl.

Storm giggled. "So sweetheart, how ya feeling?" she asked, putting the grapes back in the fridge.

Rogue swallowed. "Much better now" she replied, her voice still stuffy and congested. "I've been craving some of this all day"

Storm giggled again. "And so you wait until half passed midnight to have it?" she asked, checking the clock on the wall.

Marie shrugged. "I would have gotten it earlier but I was with Scott you know; he hasn't really left me from his line of vision ever since I woke up."

"Sounds like a father more than a boyfriend" Hank noted.

"Hank!" Storm scolded, whacking him on the arm. Of course the man was so large, her tiny petite hands really had no effect on him, but he still rubbed the spot for reassurance.

"Don't listen to him" she told Rogue, after glaring at the politician. Sometimes men could be so immoral. "Scott just cares for you Rogue, he's just a little worry wart and he wants to make sure you're ok."

"Oh I know, I know" she replied, grabbing another spoonful. "And I appreciate it. It's just he feels the need to get everything for me and wait on my hand and foot, and while it's adorable, I just want to get out the room and get something for myself you know? So I just waited until he knocked himself out to sleep and I snuck out."

Storm giggled. "That's Scott for you" she said. "He's a fighter, and he's really dedicated to making other people feel comfortable. You should be happy you have him."

Rogue smiled. "I am" she grinned.

Silence dropped in the room for a while, as Rogue resumed eating and Hank and Storm rustled around the kitchen a bit, finding their own snacks to munch on. Once feeling satisfied, Rogue places the carton back in the freezer, sucking the last bit off the spoon and placing it in the sink.

She sat back at her spot on the island.

"So" she began readjusting herself on the stool and observing as the two held hands under the counter while eating, trying diligently to hide it from the younger set of eyes, but failing miserably. After you have a roommate like Jubilee, you tend to catch on to these sort of things. "What brings you two to the kitchen?" she asked, throwing them a sweet innocent smile.

"Oh you know," Storm began, taking a sip of the glass of milk she had in front of her. "Midnight munchies, up and about from nightmares, that sort of thing."

Rogue gave them a playful, yet suspicious stare. "Uh-huh" she said, still eye balling them, up and down.

"And do you two often come down to the kitchen together or is it just a one night thing?" she pried, watching as the couple shifted a bit in their seats. They knew she was on to them, and Rogue knew that they knew that she was on to them; but it was fun watching them squirm.

"Just a one night thing; defiantly" Hank replied, suddenly finding the fruit bowl very interesting.

"Sure" she said nonchalantly eyes grazing over them and then around the kitchen. "If you say so. Of course you know, you might want to stop holding hands" she said. "You might give people the wrong impressi—"

"Alright, alright, no need to pursue it any further" Hank said, giving in as Rogue giggled. "We know you know, so let's all get on the same page, hmm?"

Rogue laughed now. "So when did this happen? You guys did a pretty good job of hiding it"

"About three months ago actually" Storm said. "Scott knew; I'm surprised he didn't mention it to you"

"Ya well, when his own love life is spiraling into a haze, I think the last thing he thinks to do is mention someone else's"

"Sounds reasonable" Hank said.

"But never mind that, I'm happy for you two" she smiled, mustering up the best, I'm happy for you grin she could with despite her sniffles and sleepiness. "You make a cute couple"

"Thanks" they both said in unison, looking at one another and smiling.

"And I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"Well, it'll only be a matter of time before everyone finds out." Storm said.

"Might distract the students, from the gossip going on between you and Scott"

Rogue snorted. "Please" she said. "Take it from a former gossiper, that has backfire written all over it. With our luck word will somehow get around that Scott, Jean, Logan and I are using the news about your relationship as a decoy to distract everyone from out elopeing in Vegas which will only fuel further problems, when we whiteness what a perfect couple you two are and realize how many problems we have of our own."

Storm laughed. "I could actually see something like that floating around here you know" she said. "It's frightening."

"Why am I not surprised?" Hank asked, with a sigh and an eyeroll. "Only at Xavier's right?"

"Hey, we're probably the only boarding school in the district where teachers display open affection. It makes for a few he said, she saids, to be tossed around the halls."

"You could never be more right"

"So, why don't we just keep this between the four of us? Well probably five because I'm assuming the professor knows too right?"

"And Jean and Logan" Storm added.

"Ah, right" she said. "Well then the seven of us, and I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"Sounds splendid" Hank smiled.

"Great, well then, with that said, I think I'm going to catch up on some Zzz's. The medication is finally settling in." she said.

Storm smiled. "Good night honey" she said. "And feel better."

"I will, and thank you"

"Remember, eight glasses of water" Hank reminded, watching as she began making her exit.

"Thank you Dr. McCoy. And I'll make it nine, just to have one for good luck"

"Atta' girl"

Rogue smiled. "Goodnight you two, and sweet dreams."

"Same to you"

…………………………

A medium chapter, as it's sort of transition until the next major event but there's more to come!!


	18. Rogue and Scott's plan

Of Jealousy and Love ch 18

Ok so yea, the last chapter was a total bomb as I only got 2 reviews. [. But I promise that this chapter is so much better and I ask that you please, please, please, please review. I need the feedback and it only takes two seconds you guys.

But as always, I want to thank you for reading, because your interest is my motivation for writing! So enjoy and don't forget to review!

…………………………………..

It's been three weeks. Three long weeks since the accident, five long weeks since Rogue and Scott moved in with one another, seven long weeks since that fateful day when Jean slept with Logan and only two more weeks left until the new school year started. And in all that glorious time, Scott and Rogue have only been growing closer to one another. They were a match made in heaven, and Jean spited them.

She'd been raking her brain for the passed few weeks, trying to figure out a way to successfully yet sneakily break Rouge and Scott apart and yet so far, she's come up with nothing. She tried a few tricks and maneuvers here and there, getting Scott to see her slightly immature 18 year old side, or conning him to believe he was aging a bit quickly when he was sitting home alone and Rogue was out clubbing with her friends. But the two had always bounced back; they hadn't fallen for any of her tricks or even noticed her trickery and completely blew her off their shoulders.

Jean knew that time was running out. If she wanted to do this she'd need to react fast and she'd need to come up with something good. Rogue had volunteered to spend the school year, working by Scott's side as a Teacher's assistant while she took college courses online. She had mentioned that she wanted to work hard for a degree, but at the same time she felt that her heart belonged to Xavier's and she'd be more than happy to teach there. Jean knew that was utter bologna and she only wanted to spend every waking moment with Scott thus by allowing her to conclude that things were getting serious.

If she was going to make her move, she had better make it now.

………………………..

Another day, another breakfast, and for a change the mood was actually light around the table, angst, sorrow, pain and awkwardness, vanished from the air as the weeks had passed.

Most of the team seemed to put the whole, Jean/Logan/Scott/Rogue thing behind them, and come to terms with what they were dealing with, accepting their friends for who they were with and the decisions they made. Jean was still jealous of Rogue, Scott still hated Logan, and vice versa, but they kept their differences subtle, just like before the accident, and managed to put on a happy face for the sake of the school.

Logan and Rogue were still kind of iffy; their father daughter type relationship slowly progressing back to normal, but in due time, all things would mend, they all new it would. And this of course made for an optimistic breakfast that morning.

"And then John tripped over the fallen branch and landed right into my ice booby trap!" Bobby exclaimed, finishing up the story he had been telling the group and they responded with a group laugh.

"Hardy, har, har" John said flatly, throwing Bobby an eye roll. "It's not my fault I tripped and fell; nobody could have seen that branch coming"

"I tried to warn you" Peter said.

"And so did I" Angel added.

"But you were so caught up in chucking fire balls at the Mystique hallucination that you couldn't hear us" Bobby chimed in.

"So what? I wanted to see if she would torch"

"John" Scott began. "These danger room sessions are serious, I really wish you'd treat them that way"

John sighed. "I do but c'mon, it was a Friday afternoon and it was easy practice, I say, why not have a little fun?"

"Here, here" Jubilee toasted with her orange juice glass.

Scott sighed, rolling his eyes; they still had a lot of training to do and he wasn't getting any younger. "Babe, can you pass me the toast please" he asked Rogue. She looked up from her cereal and smiled, graciously handing him the plate of toasted bread, but not before _"accidentally"_ brushing her hand against his and flashing him another smile.

"Yuck" Jubilee commented, watching the whole scene unfold, right in front of her eyes. "Ok you know, as cute as it is that you guys are together and all, could you please like tone the mushy gushy love stuff down to a minimum?"

"Yea" John agreed. "I just stared eating" he added, pouting as he ripped off a piece of his toast with his teeth.

Scott only chuckled while Rogue giggled.

"Sorry" she apologized. "We'll try and tone it down a bit."

"You better" Kitty piped in. "Don't make me have to call your parents on you"

The coupled laughed together.

"Ah, speaking of parents" came the interruption of Xavier, wiping his mouth free of any food remnants and setting his napkin down. "I have an announcement to make" he began.

"Ooo, ooo, ooo, professor, you're gonna be a daddy?" Jubilee interrupted excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat.

The others only shook their heads in dismay, knowing only something this unlikely could come from the mouth of their yellow clad friend, but the Asian American didn't seem to catch on.

"You're a moron" John answered for the professor, continuing to shake his head in dismay.

Jubilee frowned. "What? He said he had an announcement to make, right after the mention of parents, so if you put two and two together John—"

"No, if _you _put two and two together, that makes you a moron. The rest of us know it's something else."

"Well how do you know? The professor could be expecting a child, right professor?"

Charles sat there for a moment, stunned speechless, and unsure of what to say. He couldn't believe his students were having this conversation.

"See, he agrees" she said triumphantly as she watched him contemplate the right response to something of this nature.

"No, he's wondering how an idiot like you could have possibly managed to graduate last year. The professor's not expecting any kids you dum-dum"

"He could be"

"Jubes, he's not even married" Kitty added helplessly.

"Well we don't know to much about his personal life you guys. Who knows I mean, he could have a wife off somewhere in like…………Bora-Bora, waiting for his return."

Another round of dumbfounded looks.

"Do you hear yourself when you speak?" Bobby asked.

"What?" she groaned.

"Bora-Bora Jubes? The man is a paraplegic" John said.

"A rich paraplegic, with a jet he can fly across the globe"

"Oh my God, there's no stopping her" Angel concluded. "She's only going to get dumber and dumber until her brain disappears and her head gets so hollow it just caves in."

"Hey!"

"Alright, alright, alright" Charles finally managed to say, getting over the initial shock and now entering the conversation. He now understood why his X-men were so reticent about their personal life. All he had said was he had an announcement to make and all of a sudden, theories about his supposed secret Caribbean wife and child on the way were floating around the table. "Let's not carry this any further than it has to go"

"Please" the Wolverine begged, already tired of the pointless, and mildly disturbing bickering. If the professor had a secret wife and a baby on the way, he'd rather not know about it. The mental images of a boarding school dean actually having a personal life gave him a creepy chill up his spine.

"For the record Jubilation, you are all my children and no, I do not have a pregnant wife, off somewhere in Bora-Bora"

Jubilee sighed disappointedly. She was mildly looking forward to being called Auntie Jubes. "Oh" she said, brightening up a little after the mention of being viewed as one of his children. The professor was like a father to them all and it was nice to know the feeling was returned.

"And as for my announcement" he began, getting back on focus. "As you all know the new school years starts in two weeks and with the start of the new school year, we have a few new students coming in as well."

"Gee golly, I can't wait" John said flatly. He was not looking forward to new little brats, running around the school.

"And, with new students arriving, I've invited their parents to come for parents weekend, to take a tour of the school and see what Xavier's is all about. So I ask that you are all on your best behaviors next weekend. Dress pants, polo shirts, nice shoes, and please keep the shenanigans to a minimum."

"Parents weekend?" Jubilee asked. "But isn't that when we're supposed to invite _our_ parents to see out progress and stuff."

"It is" Charles agreed. "But I thought it would be better to combine them both into one this year; kill two birds with one stone. You're parents are still welcome to come Jubilation"

"Cool" she marveled. "Cause' I e-mailed mom last night and she said her and dad are flying out; I can't wait"

"I thought you said your parents lived in New York?" Warren asked.

"Naw, they used to live here, but once they were sure I was well situated here, they retired back to China."

"Wow they must really love you" John said flatly and Jubilee frowned.

"John" Storm warned.

"For your information John, my parents do love me, and that's why they're coming" she said as a matter of factly.

John snorted. "Whatever"

"But professor" Bobby began, trying to divert the conversation in a different direction. "We already graduated. What more progress is there for out parents to see?" he asked.

"Plenty; your diplomas, your achievements, a record of your high school careers and where you're headed in your future. But it's all up to you Robert; you don't have to invite them if you don't want to."

"I don't know" he said, pushing his eggs around his plate. "I mean after I confessed to them I was a mutant and my brother called the cops on me, our relationship hasn't been the same."

"Well maybe this will give you a chance to mend it all"

Bobby slowly nodded, taking this into consideration.

"Or maybe it'll give your brother a chance to call the F.B.I this time." Pyro threw in again. "I don't know Bobby but I think it would be a good idea for you to run a security check by little Ronnie before he gets here"

Bobby frowned just as Jubilee had done earlier and glared at his friend.

"John!" Storm warned again.

"Hey man, what's your problem?" Iceman asked, clearly upset.

"No, you know what, excuse me for speaking my mind professor, but if you ask me, this is all just a dumb idea." He said, dropping his fork.

The professor, Hank, Storm, Scott and Jean sighed, knowing of John's past and knowing why he wouldn't agree to something like this, while the pyromaniac himself, pouted in his chair.

"John sweetheart, we do this every year." Storm reasoned.

"And every year it just gets dumber and dumber" he retorted. "Most of us have parents who ran out on us or kicked us out, so what the hell do we want to invite them here for?"

"Not all of us have parents like that John" Jubilee defended.

"It doesn't matter" he fired back. "If they haven't run out on you now, they'll do it eventually, once they see your _real_ achievements, your mutant achievements, they'll leave you just like the others; they're all the same."

"John, that's not fair. You can't classify everyone the same way" Storm said.

"Well why not, they do it to us."

"Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Well even if I did give them a chance, what are the rest of us who don't have parents supposed to do huh? Sit back and watch everyone laugh and play and smile and have a great time?" she shot back. He could feel the rage, pain and sorrow building up inside him and threatening to come out in tears, but he wouldn't allow it. "Its all bullshit, and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so." He added, turning to Rogue who looked down at her cereal to avoid the stares.

Watching John's reaction, Rogue knew how much she could relate because her own parents had kicked her out when they found out she was a mutant and she didn't think parents weekend would have them flying in for the festivities.

They hardly spoke to her, they hardly knew, or cared, what was going on in her life and she didn't think that they were even close to ready to come to something like parents weekend.

The whole thought of it all made her upset. She tried as hard she could not to think about her parents, knowing it was another reason to cry over heartbreak, but now that parents weekend was coming up, she knew she'd have to face the facts sooner or later.

"Rogue….." Scot began softly, placing a reassuring hand on her back.

But she only shrugged it off, setting her spoon down and getting up in her chair, dabbing her eyes with her napkin to try and keep from crying. "No" she said just as soft, refusing Scott's reassurance. "Excuse me"

And with that she was gone from the table, leaving an awkward silence behind her.

The professor helplessly sighed; so much for an optimistic breakfast.

…………………………………………

He had given her some space to breath since the breakfast conversation, but time seemed to be marching by slowly and he was dying to talk to her.

She had locked herself in their room and hadn't come out since, and Scott pressed his ear to the door several times, trying to get a sound of shuffling, sniffling, crying, weeping, anything; but it was silent. Not a peep came from the other side of the door.

Scott paced back and forth in the hallway in front of the door, wondering when would be a good time to go in. It had been nearly four hours; was she ready to speak to someone about it or did she still want to be alone? Scott didn't know, and he most certainly didn't want to come in at the wrong time because he knew with these sort of things, timing was everything.

Just then, in the midst of his pacing Logan began making his way down the hallway, enjoying a cigar to himself and staring outside the windows, stopping short when he saw Scott moving around like a first time father in a hospital waiting room.

Logan shook his head in dismay as he watched, blowing out another puff of smoke and cocking that famous eyebrow of his.

"What the hell are you doing cream puff?" he asked, inhaling again in his cigar.

Scott stopped short at the sound of someone else's voice and frowned when he saw Logan standing there in front of him.

"What do you want Logan?" he asked dryly, in no mood for Logan and his sarcastic remarks.

"I want to know what the hell your doing" he replied, exhaling again. "What's she doin' in there, givin' birth? You look like one of those nerve wrecked fathers in those hospital shows"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just leave me alone"

Logan shrugged. Straightening his jacket and making his way toward the door, he began to gussy up and prepare to knock.

Just as he was about to strike the wooden square with his fist however, Scott had caught his hand midair and had pushed him back a little, glaring daggers at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to talk to her" he replied, simple as day, withdrawing his hand from Scott's. "She seemed pretty upset at breakfast this morning and I wanted to make sure she's ok."

"Well ask her later, because there is no way in hell I am allowing you in my room"

"Last time I checked it was Rogue's room too" he said with a smirk.

Scott frowned. "I don't care. I don't want you in there and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want you in there either; especially when you're smoking." He waved a hand in front of his face to rid of the cloud of smoke.

"Fine then, I'll get rid of it" he said, putting out his cigar in the palm of his hand and tossing the butt out the window. He winced a little as the burn mark slowly healed. "There" he said once all was done. "No more smoking"

Scott frowned, looking out the window to find the burned out cigar butt lying in a bush. "What are you trying to do, start a fire? That belongs in an ashtray"

"I always knew you were a boy scout" he said, shaking his head disappointedly. "Only you would quote Smokey the Bear"

Scott's frown deepened. "Logan please, just leave ok?"

"Why? I told you I wanted to make sure the kid was ok"

"She's fine" he said. "And if anything, the last person she needs to see right now is you"

"Ouch, that hurt my little heart" he grinned sarcastically, preparing to knock again. Again Scott stopped him.

"Logan, I'm serious, leave!"

"Well she has to talk to someone"

"Not you!"

"Well you're certainly not doing it so were at a crossroad here, now aren't we?"

Scott sighed. He hated when other people were right. Or more specifically, he hated when Logan was right. She did need to talk to someone and he wasn't there for her; he felt that he was waiting to long, maybe giving her too much space.

Sighing again and looking up at Logan, Scott's lip line drew flat when he got a "well, I'm waiting" look from Logan. He glared.

"I'll talk to her; you go back to what ever it was you were doing in the first place."

"Can't, I tossed my cigar out the window remember?"

"Well find something else"

Logan shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. Just try not to talk the girl into a coma ok Smokey? I'd like to see her functioning like a normal human being and not a robot."

Scott rolled his eyes, finally entering his room and closing the door.

…………….

When he walked in the room he found that it was just as silent as he had heard from outside, and so far, just by looking around, it looked as though not a soul had passed through there since he and Rogue left for breakfast that morning. The bed was made, the tv was off, the accent chair was neatly aligned, with it's throw hanging lazily over it. The drawers showed no indication of clothes being thrown about in rage and the curtains were neatly aligned as well blowing mildly in the breeze from the open window.

Oh no, the window; Scott hadn't opened the window before he left. Maybe she climbed out and ran away.

No that was just silliness talking; Rogue wouldn't run away would she? She wouldn't just flee after one little conversation.

Scott dashed to the window just to make sure. Looking down below, he searched the ground for any traces of footsteps and sighed when he found none.

Why wasn't she in the room? Where could she be?

Suddenly the sound of the toilet flushing and the sink running caught his attention. A few moments afterwards, the bathroom door opened and Rogue emerged, pausing for a brief moment when she caught Scott looking at her.

"Oh my God" she gasped, holding a hand to her heart. "Scott don't do that, you scared the crap out of me."

Scott weakly smiled. "Sorry" he apologized, approaching her with a warm hug. "Hey" he greeted softly, leaning her head in on his chest. "You ok?"

Rogue sighed at the question. "I guess" she said, breaking from Scott's embrace, and shutting the open window. "I just needed some time to think about this morning"

"I know" he said, sitting on the bed. "I kind of figured you wanted to be alone and so I decided to give you some space." Scott now laid down on his side.

"Do…..do you wanna talk about it?" he asked cautiously, looking into Rogue's eyes for an answer.

She sighed again. "What else is there to talk about? My parents hate me, and they're invited to parents weekend at a mutant boarding school."

"Your parents don't hate you" Scott reassured.

"Right, and next your going to say is that kicking me out of the house was just for my own good right?"

"Rogue, they didn't kick you out because they hated you, they were just scared."

"And that makes it ok?"

"No, it doesn't make it ok but, you have to understand, your parents acted out of fear and they were a little rash yes but, I'm sure they want to do nothing more than to apologize and start over. They're your parents, they love you, and maybe parents weekend will give them a chance to see all the good you've done and what you've accomplished"

"Scott you don't understand. My parents are like………..are like perfectionists ok? And having a mutant for a daughter does not fit into their grand plan. I mean after I got settled here, I called my mom to let her know where I was and how I was doing and all she could say was "oh that's nice sweetie". She hardly writes back to any of my e-mails, she and my dad never answer my calls, they both just……….hate me. And I don't think that having a parents weekend is going to make things any better."

"Well you don't have to invite them if you don't want to." He said.

Rogue sighed again. "Ugh, too late" she groaned, flopping on the bed next to him. "Xavier gave us the memo about the invite two weeks ago and stupid me thought that it would actually be a good idea. But now after that conversation with John this morning, I'm starting to regret the whole thing"

"Did they RSVP?"

"Two days ago"

"Well see Rogue that has to mean something. I mean if they said they're coming, then there has to be something there they want to fix"

"Probably just want to get a chance to use those sharpened pitch forks from all the other invites I gave to them."

"Rouge….." Scott whined.

She sighed again. "I don't know Scott I'm just really skeptical about this. I mean, they can hardly get over the fact that I'm a mutant, how will they react when they find out that we're dating?"

Scott paused for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that. As a matter of fact, he hadn't thought about what any of the parents might think, both old and new, if they knew that he and a former student of his were dating.

He cringed. This would not turn out good.

Sure the students and the staff knew the ordeal, and they knew that Scott and Rogue had cared for each other dearly; but to the outsiders, no matter how much breath you put into explaining, all they could see is an eighteen year old girl and a twenty nine year old man, together. Living together, kissing together, holding hands together, and just being together. And he hadn't even thought about Marie's parents. Scott was a gentleman, he didn't believe in dating a girl a good portion of time and not letting her parents know.

"Oh man" he said, sitting up in the bed. "I hadn't even thought about that"

Rogue sat up as well. "You see why I worry? And these are my parents we're talking about. My dad scared away two guys with the third degree before I met Caleb."

"Caleb?"

"My first boyfriend"

"Ah." He rested a hand to his chin in thought. "Well I'm not scared of your dad Rogue. As far as I've been told, I'm a gentleman, so I should have nothing to worry about right?"

"But you're twenty nine years old."

"So reads my birth certificate."

"Scott" Rogue whined. "My parents are very judgmental people. They kicked me out of the house for being a mutant for Pete's sake, what do you think they're going to say when they find out I'm dating my former math teacher"

"Thank God you're not a drug dealer"

"Scott!"

Cyclops chuckled a bit. "Sorry, sorry, sorry" he said, pulling her into his arms.

Rogue resisted. "No" she said. "I'm trying to be serious here, and you're just joking around"

"I'm sorry babe" he apologized again, managing to pull her into his embrace and plant a forgiving kiss on her lips. "Look, I know you're stressed and I know you're worried and well, now that you mention the whole, parents not knowing that we're dating thing, I'm kind of worried myself."

She sighed. "So what do we do?"

"I've been thinking, what if we…………kept our relationship on the down low for parents weekend?"

Rogue face suddenly scrunched up into sadness. "You want to break up with me?" she asked, mustering the most pitiful look she could.

"No, no, no, no, no, never that darling, never that" he said, tapping her chin in reassurance and giving her another small kiss.

Rogue smiled.

"I don't want to break up or take a break or explore new people or any of that stuff. I'm just saying that, maybe….." he sighed. "Maybe it would be best if we didn't tell anyone about our relationship on parents weekend. That we just keep it a little secret."

Now Rogue's eyebrow quirked. "Secret?" she asked. "But people already know"

"I know that but look. The parents coming to check out this school are most likely very judgmental about where they send their children and to be quite honest, they won't give a rats ass about the love trials and experiences we've been through. All they're going to see is a former student and her former teacher dating and living in the same room. And I wouldn't want anything to jeopardize Xavier from helping anymore children."

"So our relationship is a liability?"

"Not a liability Rogue just………………..it's he concluded. "To anyone who doesn't know the story, it's complicated for them to understand and we're not going to have time to sit here and explain it to them all."

Rogue nodded, understanding his point. They weren't going to have time to explain to everyone or help everyone see why they were together, and to a bunch of judgmental stick in the muds, they weren't going to send their children away to some school where the teachers date their former students.

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we keep our relationship a secret. None of the parents will know, and not even your parents have to know. That is unless, you want to tell them."

"No, no, no." she said. "I don't think they're ready for this kind of surprise yet"

"Right, so then, nobody knows. Nobody who hasn't been living here already will find out."

"But Scott" she began. "Isn't that lying?"

Scott scrunched up his face in one of those "not technically" faces, giving her a groan to accompany his look of technicality. "It's not really, _lying_ per say, because we're not denying it. We're just, not…..telling them that we're together."

"What if someone asks?" she said. "I mean we are sharing the same room."

"Well then maybe it'll be best of one of us bunks with someone else for the weekend. You know, try to make things look less suspicious."

Rogue gave him a playful frown. "Bunk with someone else?" she asked, pouting out her bottom lip as far as it could go. "But I'm gonna miss my snuggle-puss" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a sweet kiss.

"And I'll miss you too" he said, returning the favor with just as much sweetness. "But it's only for one night"

"Two days and one night" she corrected. "That's _wwaaayyy_ to long."

Another kiss shared.

"Well then" he said, encircling his hands around her waist and grinning up at her. "I guess we'll have to make sure we spend as much time as we can now, before that fateful day comes"

Rogue smiled against his lips after kissing him once more. "I guess we will."

"Staring now?"

"Starting now"

And the kissing frenzy began.

…………………

Meanwhile from her room, Jean smirked wickedly to herself as she was just getting through mentally eavesdropping on the conversation going on between the couple and beginning to concoct a malicious plan in her head.

"_Keeping they're relationship a secret they say?_" she thought to herself, her smirk growing wider and wider on her face. _"Why Jean, I do believe you can use this to your advantage"_

She felt like laughing evilly to herself but she contained it all inside for the sake of Logan, napping beside her.

"_Oh this is going to be one hell of a weekend"_

……………………..

Need the feedback peeps.


	19. Miss Frost

Of Jealousy and Love ch 19

……………………………

Shuffling the papers around on his desk, Xavier sighed as he went through the class schedules once more, making sure he had everything in order.

He hated this time of year, when class scheduling came around. Fixating courses so everyone was happy along with the everyday stress of being a telepath always gave him the biggest headache.

"_I think it's high time I pass this task down to one of my X-men"_ Charles thought while removing his glasses. "_I'm too old for this."_

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, interrupting his arrangement.

"_Ah finally, a break." _

"Yes, come in" he said aloud, now setting his glasses down and looking at the door to greet his visitor.

No more than three seconds later, did a smiling red head, pop her bright little head in. "Hey professor" Jean said, greeting him with a smile before fully entering his office.

"Good morning Jean" the professor smiled, wheeling his way from around his desk. "How are you?"

"Good and yourself?"

"A little stressed from class scheduling but other than that, all is well."

Jean chuckled. "Professor, I told you to let me Scott or Ororo handle that, you don't need the added pressure."

"Believe me Jean, after this year, I probably will" he said and she chuckled again. "So, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Umm, yeah actually, I just had a question"

"Well you know you can ask me anything Jean, fire away."

"Well it's about parents weekend."

"Parents weekend? Aren't your parents coming?"

"My parents? Oh no, they're vacationing to Miami. But you know, I was just wondering, if it would be ok if I invited a friend?"

"A friend?"

"Mmmm-hmmmm. A childhood friend of mine, I've known her for years."

"Is she………………."

"Oh yeah, she's mutant friendly. As a matter of fact, she's a mutant herself so I don't think she'll have an issue with the whole mutant school thing"

"Uh-huh" Charles added skeptically. He was a little suspicious about this friend thing, not because of her friend, but because of the fact that Jean had never mentioned any childhood friend to him before and because it was strange that a week before the event, she suddenly had an interest in inviting someone.

Charles had known Jean since she was twelve years old; he knew all her ups and downs, all her ins and outs and he definitely knew her little sneaky ways of planning chaos; this was one of them.

Attempting to probe her mind further to see what she was really up to, Charles inwardly sighed when he came across numerous mental barriers to keep him out of her plans.

He suddenly regretted teaching that to her.

"Oh course Jean" he said aloud, giving up on trying to read her thoughts. "You can invite any friend you wish. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine" he said.

She smiled widely. "Oh thank you professor, I'm sure she'll be happy to come."

"Yes, yes, of course" he said, wheeling back to his desk as Jean prepared to leave.

It wasn't until she was halfway out the door that he stopped her. "Oh and Jean" he said, halting her in her tracks.

"Yes professor?"

"Please, keep in mind what I said about the shenanigans. I would like to see none of them this coming weekend." He hoped there was enough authority in his voice to hint to her, he knew that she was up to something.

Fortunately for him, she did catch the hint but unfortunately enough, the warning wasn't enough to stop her. "Of course professor, I wouldn't dream of it" she responded. And with that she was gone.

Charles sighed again. "This next weekend is going to be hell, I can feel it"

………………………………..

"So you and Scott—" Jubilee began while sliding into her bikini. "Are pretending that you're not dating for the next weekend?" She grabbed the suntan lotion on top of her nightstand and gave Rogue a skeptical look.

Rogue sighed for the millionth time. She didn't know how many times she'd have to explain this to her. "No Jubes we're not _pretending_ that we're not dating" she corrected, wrapping a towel around her own bikini-clad body.

"You're not?" the Asian-American asked.

"No. We're just not telling anyone that we are dating."

"But you're going to avoid each other" she pointed out.

"And you're bunking with us" Kitty added from across the room while applying suntan lotion to her legs.

"Yeah I know, we're trying not to make it look suspicious"

Jubilee shook her head. "Sounds like you're pretending not to date to me" she said.

Rogue sighed again. "Jubes" she moaned. "Weather it sounds like we're not dating or not you have to promise—"

"I know, I know, not to tell anyone" she finished. "And I already swore Rogue, I won't tell, sheesh"

"You swear?"

"Like a sailor"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "And you too Kitty?"

Kitty looked up from her suntan lotion. "Of course Rogue, you know I wouldn't dream of spilling a secret"

She exhaled a breath of relief. "Great, now all I have to do is convince John and the others."

Jubilee scoffed. "Feh, good luck."

……………………………

"So you and Mr. Summers are pretending not to date?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. Why was everyone saying that? "For the love of God Bobby, no we're not pretending not to date!" she responded.

"But you're avoiding each other" he pointed out.

"And you're bunking with Jubes and Kitty" John added.

"I know that" she said exasperatedly. "We're just trying not to make it look suspicious"

"Sounds like you're pretending not to date to me" Angel concluded.

"Warren, I know what it sounds like but please, for the sake of this coming weekend, could you please promise, not to blab"

Angel sighed. "Alright Rogue, your secret is safe with us" he promised. "But if this thing blows up in your face—"

"I know, I know, you'll sing to the heavens like the Angel you are" she said.

Warren grinned. "Great now that we have all that cleared up, John has come up with a few terms of agreement to keep our silence; John?"

"Right well, in my spare time I've drawn up three tasks for you, Rouge, to give to us, John, Bobby and Warren in return for our keeping of your little secret." He said smugly.

Rogue rolled her eyes lamely. "What about Peter?" she asked, turning to her Russian friend who was doodling in the corner of the room.

"Peter has agreed to keep silence but wanted nothing to do with our requests." He responded and again Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Oh Lord, what do you want John?"

"Ok, request number one, you must clean our bathroom in that sexy little French maid outfit you wore for Halloween last year."

Rogue scoffed. "No way! First of all I'm not cleaning your filth of a bathroom and second of all I am most certainly not gonna dress up for you in my old Halloween costumes."

"Damn, there goes the sexy cop idea" Bobby whispered to Warren who giggled.

"Well why the hell not?" John protested. "What have you got to loose?"

"Uh, my dignity"

"Dignity-shimignity, this is sexual teasing we're talking about her."

She glared. "No John"

"Alright, alright, fine. Request number two" he continued. "You've gotta show us some skin"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh c'mon you've been hiding it since you got here, and now that we know you have control over that damn mutation of yours, let loose. Wear a mini-skirt, give us some leg, show a little cleavage, accidentally drop your pen and show us a little ass."

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm not going to degrade myself for your secrecy John" she said.

The pyro maniac sighed a hardy sigh. So far these requests weren't going so well. "Alright fine you bargain hunter, our last and final request is that you give each one of us, half an hour in bed with you."

Her eyes narrowed and Angel and Bobby turned to John with weird looks on their faces.

"Alright well actually that last one was my personal request and well, it looks as though Angel and Bobby want nothing to do with it so to make up for their half hours, you can just spend and hour and a half in bed with me" he grinned.

"John" Rogue began. "Don't tell my secret or I'll kick your ass." She negotiated. "Discussion terminated."

Without any further protest or argument, she left the room causing John to sigh disappointedly to himself. "Damn" he said, shaking his head in dismay. "That totally backfired."

………………………

"So how'd it go?"

Rogue sighed as she entered her and Scott's room, flopping on the bed next to him and looking up at him helplessly.

Scott smiled a genuine smile and closed the book his was thumbing through to give Rogue his undivided attention. He knew she went out to warn her friends of the supposed "secret" and he knew it probably wasn't easy.

"Well" she began, letting go of another sigh and blowing a few strands of hair from her face. "Jubilee and Kitty have promised to keep their mouths shut and as for the guys………..well……..Peter has sworn his secrecy but John, Bobby and Warren however, I'm about 95 percent sure they won't spill."

"95 percent?" Scott asked, quirking a worried eyebrow. "Why would you be 95 percent sure?" he asked. "Are they blackmailing you again?"

She shook her head in dismay. "Yes. Well, no. Well……sort of."

Now both his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

She sighed again. "They wanted me to perform three little sluty deeds to confirm their absolute secrecy but I threatened to kick their ass if they told and all was well."

Scott threw her a pressing look of confusion but quickly shrugged it off when he concluded that John, Bobby and Warren were a case in their own and there was really no changing that. "Weird" was all he said before he set his book aside and pulled Rogue onto his lap.

She smiled as she leaned into his chest, loving when he did those little romantic things of his and she followed up by trailing her hand down to his and lacing her dainty fingers in between his strong ones.

"So how'd it go with you? Did everyone cooperate or did you have to make a few bribes."

Now it was Scott's turn to sigh. "Well Ororo and Hank have our trust, they only asked that in return no one found out about the two of them as well" he began.

Rogue chuckled. "They're such a cute couple; I don't understand why they're trying to hide it from everyone."

"You can't really get more Old fashioned that Ororo and Hank. They're a match made in conservative heaven."

Rogue chuckled again. "What about the others?" she asked.

"If "_the others"_ you are referring to are Jean and Logan well, Jean kind of just stared at me and mumbled a whatever then slammed my curriculum for the year in my hands and I believe Logan's exact words were "_I wouldn't dare waste my breath on something so irrelevant Scooter. Now move out my way so I can light up"_"

She rolled her eyes at the reactions of her enemies. Leave it up to them to be so snooty-tooty about it all. "So what does that mean?"

"I think that means—" he began, running his thumb along her hand. "That they'll keep the secret. But then again, who knows with those two."

Again she rolled her eyes. "And what about the professor?"

"The professor…………..well…….he promised not to say a word because he doesn't want anything going wrong this weekend just as much as we do but, he wasn't to thrilled about the whole idea. You know the professor; he doesn't like secrets. And he didn't say it directly but I could tell he was thinking that this would some how back fire on us."

Rogue looked up at her boyfriend. "Was he really hinting that or was it just your own worriment?" she asked concerned. She was really hoping that the two of them could pull this off. Her parent's opinion was very important to her and she didn't want anything other than the whole "I'm a teenage mutant" thing to screw it up.

"I think it was a bit of both"

She groaned. "Scott"

"What?" he groaned right back.

Sitting up straight now, she gave him one of her, pitiful hurt little puppy looks. "Scott you shouldn't think things like that." She warned. "Then you'll jinx us and they'll really happen."

"It won't really happen" he said, giving her a reassuring rub on the shoulder. "It's just, I can't help but feel a little jittery you know? I don't like lying."

"Aren't you the one who said it isn't technically lying?"

He sighed. "Yeah I know but the more I thought about it, the more it worried me. I mean if this thing blows up in our face, it could be ten times worse then anything we're expecting."

"So you're saying we should just come forward and spill then?"

"No, I'm just saying we should tread softly. Be extra careful and analyze every move if we really want to pull this off."

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I just hope it works."

"It will work"

"You sure"

"No"

"Scott!"

He laughed. "Sorry, sorry I had to throw that in there" he said with a chuckle and Rogue playfully punched him. "Yes I'm sure it'll work Rogue. I mean the parents are here for their kids right? Not to investigate teacher relationships. So as long as we keep our distance and be careful, they won't suspect a thing."

She sighed a content sigh. He did have a point. As long as they acted natural, nothing was going to happen.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" she said, leaning into his chest once more. "We'll be absolutely fine."

"Absolutely" he repeated. "There's nothing standing in our way."

……………………………….

Strumming her fingernails on her desk, Jean sat patiently on the phone as it rang, waiting for someone on the other line to pick up.

She smiled a wicked smile to herself as she did so as she knew this phone call would be the phone call that would put her plan into gear; Her plan to finally split Rogue and Scott and part.

She only had one shot to pull this off; one shot to make it work, for she knew that one wrong turn or one wrong move would destroy it all, and this whole thing could blow up right in her face. But she was confident, no she was positive this plan would work, she would swear on her own mother's grave that this plan would be the best plan at getting what she wanted. And it was all up to one person.

"Thanks for calling the Massachusetts Academy, this is Emma Frost speaking, how can I help you?"

Jeans smile broadened. "Hey Emma it's Jean"

She could hear her smirking on the other line, switching from happy-go-lucky boarding school dean, to the wicked queen that she was. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Scott's little bitch. Long time no see Jeannie, what's going on?"

Jean smirked as well. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. And just so you know, this call is for your own benefit."

"Oh really? And why's that?"

"Scott and I are over."

There was a pause of silence over the phone before Emma picked back up. "Really? What happened? Scott realized the slut you really are?"

"Something like that." She replied through gritted teeth. There was a part of her that wondered why in the world she was on the phone with her one and only arch nemesis Emma Frost; she's hated the girl since the first day she arrived at Xavier's. But then another part of her knew that she would be the best person to pull off the stunt she was planning and that part unfortunately, was bigger and stronger, and it took over her better judgment. "But he's with someone else now, that's why I called; I need your help."

Emma grinned from over the line. "Well, well, well, little miss Goodie-too-shoes is shaping out to be the jealous, manipulative, masterminded bitch that I always knew you had inside of you." she commented with a laugh. "I don't know what either Xavier or Magneto has done to you Jean but I must admit; you're shaping out nicely."

"For now, I'll take that as a compliment." she replied flatly. "So are you in or are you out?"

"Wait a second. Why would _I_ be helping _you_ brake up Scott and this knew chick. All I'd be doing is setting you two back up together. And if we remember correctly, I was always trying to steal him from _you_. So what exactly do I get out of this deal?"

"I don't want him anymore Frost" Jeans stated. "I've found someone else so whenever you're done breaking him up with his new love toy, he's all yours."

There was another pause over the phone. "And the phoenix arises." She said and Jean replied with an eye roll.

"So are you in or are you out?"

"Oh you can definitely count me in." Emma laughed. "I can't wait to see how this unfolds."

Jean smiled. "Fantastic; I knew you'd come through."

"Right, well, what do I have to do?"

Again Jean's wicked smile grew. "Emma, How would you like to come to Parents weekend?"

……………………………


	20. Meet the Parents

Of Jealousy and Love ch 20

………………………

"Ok, ok, how do I look now?"

Standing nervously in front of the mirror, Rogue fidgeted constantly with collar of her shirt and waistline of her slacks, trying to make her appearance seem better than it was.

She was nervous. No she was far beyond nervous; she was a wreck. Her parents were going to be here any minute and all her worries about her relationship with Scott, her being at a mutant boarding school and her being a mutant in general were beginning to resurface.

Parents had already begun arriving at the school and one by one they were walking around the mansion, talking to the staff, observing the dormitories and special features the school had to offer, and conversing with their children to reassure if this is what they "Really wanted". On the contrary though, the returning parents just seemed to be having an all out great time, discussing achievements with their child's teacher, seeing all the things their child has accomplished, and reuniting with their loved ones and showering them with gifts.

Of course for a few select students, this just wasn't the case seeing as their parents either weren't a fan of the mutant population or they just didn't care to show up at all.

Marie fit into this category and seeing as how her folks were due to arrive any minute, she just wanted to make sure that everything was as perfect as it could be; starting with her wardrobe.

"Oh for the love of God Rogue, you look fine." Jubilee replied, applying a bit of lip gloss to her lips. "You've changed like 10 times already."

"Yeah I know but I can't just look _fine_ Jubes, I have to look great, fantastic, wonderful, perfect, anything else except for fine."

Jubilee sighed exasperatedly. "_Fine_" she said. "You look great, fantastic, wonderful, perfect, anything expect for fine"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "It doesn't count now" she whined. "Cause I know all your thinking about is how I look just fine"

"Rogue" the yellow-clad girl groaned. "You're really dragging down the mood here." She said. "Everyone's like, uber-excited to see their folks and you're sweating bullets, what's going on?"

Rogue sighed, still playing with her collar. "I'm nervous" she admitted, running her hand through her hair. "I'm nervous about my parents showing up and I'm nervous about what they'll think"

"Rogue, if they're flying all the way from Mississippi, then they must care about you. I'm sure they'll be nothing short of thrilled to see you."

Rogue scoffed. "You really don't know my parents."

Before Jubilee could respond with more words of confidence, Kitty phased right through the door, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"They're here! They're here! They're here!" she said, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Who's here Kit?" Jubilee asked, setting down her lip gloss and fixating her own collar.

"My parents!" she giggled. "My parents are here and guess what?"

"What?" both girls asked in unison.

"I'm getting a new baby brother! My mom's pregnant!"

"Oh yay! Congratulations girlie!" Jubilee exclaimed, giving her roommate a hug and bouncing up and down with her excitedly, giggling like a schoolgirl. Rogue only watched with a smile.

"Well if you're parents are here, what are you doing hanging with us, go and spend time with them" she said and Kitty nodded.

"Yeah I know I just wanted to grab the card I bought for them" she said, scrimmaging through her drawer and pulling a Hallmark out. "And I wanted to share the good news."

Both girls smiled.

"Well I'll see you later, I wanna find out what they'll name him." She said and with that she phased right back out the door.

Jubilee giggled watching her go. "She's lucky; I wish I could be a big sister"

"Don't you have siblings?" Rogue asked, running the brush through her hair a few times.

"Yeah but they're all older than me" she said. "I want a baby sister"

Rogue chuckled. "Wish I could say the same. But somehow I have a feeling my parents would shelter them to death so they don't turn out like me."

Jubilee scoffed. "Oh Rogue stop it"

"What? I can't help it if my parents are—"

A sudden knock at the door interrupted her statement. "Rogue?" came Storm's voice from the other side, before she opened the door and popped her head in.

"Hun, you're parents are here."

Rogue let go of a deep breath. Crap; the moment of truth. "Finally here" she finished.

……………………..

Making the final loop in his tie, Scott sighed as he adjusted the navy blue cloth right under his neck, double checking his appearance just to make sure it was perfect.

He had to look his best for meeting the parents on parents weekend; for he knew one unzipped pants or one hair out of place on a staff member could make the final veto on weather or not the child stayed at Xavier's.

Sighing again, Scott tried practicing his best, nothing-is-wrong-with-me, I'm-so-happy smile in the mirror but it was really no use. He was just to darn miserable.

Not even twelve hours had passed by and already his missed Rogue.

He liked having her by his side when he woke up, telling him if his outfits matched or not and sitting on the dresser and lopping his tie for him.

All the sweet little homey things that he's just grown so fond of were desperately missed and he couldn't wait until this weekend was over so he could have them again.

That plus the fact that he had to keep in mind the secret he and Rogue were trying to hide made him wish this weekend would fly by, twice as quickly. He just wanted all of this to be over. The weekend has yet to start and already he wished that all the parents could leave and everything would just fall back into place. He'd have Rogue back, he wouldn't have to worry about hiding their relationship, and he could just go back to being worry-free.

Scott sighed once more, looking at the picture on his dresser of he and Rogue on one of their many strolls in the park. It was one of his favorite photos because it was so candid and yet it looked so natural. And he and Rogue looked so much in love; and they were.

He really, really, did miss her.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door interrupting his touching moment and sending him crashing back down to reality.

Scott placed the picture inside his dresser to hide any final evidence of he and Rogue's relationship before answering the door.

"Come in" he replied nonchalantly, thinking it was Ororo or someone and turning back to the mirror to put the finishing touches on his outfit.

Surprisingly though, the door opened and in popped two people Scott would have never expected to come.

"Hey, hey, hey, brother man!"

Recognizing that voice anywhere, Scott turned toward the door to find none other than Adam and Alex Summers, his two favorite, (and only) brothers of all time, standing there with smiles on their faces.

They're presence alone brightened his mood tenfold.

"Hey, Adam, Alex, what are you doing here!" He turned around excitedly, giving them each manly hugs and not believing his eyes. He hadn't seen his brothers in years.

"We got the invite about parents weekend bro." Alex said, with a smile, patting his older brother on the back. "Your big rich boss man sent it to us and told us to keep it a secret from you. And since we figured Nana and Gramps can't make it out of their wheelchairs well, we'd be the next best thing so, surprise!"

Scott smiled from the silliness of his younger brother. Alex was known for being so random and childish. He missed that.

"Well it's great to see you guys again; man I'll have to send a big thank you to the professor" he said, giving them another hug.

"Hey don't mention it" Adam, Scott's older brother, replied. "We were more than happy to come."

"Yeah, I mean it's not everyday we get to visit our bad ass, math teacher of a brother." Alex added.

Scott chuckled. "Bas ass math teacher huh?" he asked. "Hmm, that's a new one" Digging through his sock drawer and pulling out his dress socks (which were all disarranged thanks to the adding of Rogue's socks) Scott sat on the bed and pulled them on, reaching for the dress shoes that were sitting next to him.

"So you guys, what have you been up to? It's been awhile since we last talked."

"Ten months to be exact, but then again, who's counting" Alex replied, fumbling with the linen on the bed.

Both Scott and Adam rolled their eyes. "Nothing much bro, just working paycheck to paycheck, you know, trying to put bread on the table." Adam replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah and ever since grandpa lost his teeth, that's been a lot of bread." Alex remarked with a giggle.

Scott chuckled as well. "You still working at South regional Adam?"

"Nah, I got transferred to the hospital a few miles north. It's pretty great though, I got a raise and a hell of a lot of vacation time within the first month of working."

Scott chuckled. "And what about you Alex?" he turned to his younger brother. "Still working at that power plant?"

"No!" Alex shot back in mock defense. "You'll be happy to know that _I _Alex Summers have successfully received my Masters Degree in Accounting and Business, thank you very much. And I have just put in an application for this new record store that's opening up in the city as a number cruncher so, nah! I'm doing quite well."

Scott chuckled again. "I never disputed it; congratulations Alex."

"Thanks" he said with a grin.

"So how are Nana and Grandpa? Still suffering from that arthritis?"

"That and just about everything else under the sun" Adam replied.

"Including being old and senile"

"Alex" both brothers scolded in unison.

"What? It's true. I mean Nana keeps calling me Scott and she keeps calling Adam by my name, and yesterday I caught Grandpa standing in front of the refrigerator, waiting for the elevator to come down."

Scott shook his head in dismay. "They're 86 years old Alex, they have to loose it sometime or the other."

"Well they better find it soon because if I have to remind Nana one more time that Adam did not die in the Vietnam war, I'm gonna wheel them straight into a nursing home."

Scott turned to Adam. "Watch him please. I don't want to have to come home one day and find Nana and Grandpa in a nursing ho—she thinks you died in the Vietnam War?"

Alex laughed at Scott's sudden realization and Adam shook his head in dismay. "Please, it's embarrassing enough as it is that I have to remind her I'm alive and well and I wasn't even alive in the Vietnam war."

Scott chuckled. "Actually, that's pretty funny" he said. "Makes me wish I was back home with a video camera."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Very Funny Scott."

"So brother man, enough about us, what about you?" Alex began, fixing for a subject change. "Looks like you're doing pretty well" he said, looking around the room. "Nice set up you got here"

"Thanks" Scott said, lacing up his shoes and fixing his pants so they covered the laces.

"Xavier pays you well I see"

"Alex" Scott began dryly. "First of all this is _his_ mansion and second of all when you work in a place like a mutant boarding school, you tend to not worry about how much the dean pays you."

Alex shrugs. "Still must be pretty decent, I mean look at this place. King sized bed, plasma tv, personal bathroom, porch sized balcony—"

"Walk in closet" Adam pitched in.

"Walk in closet." Alex repeated. "I mean just exactly how rich is that guy anyway?"

"Richer than you'll ever know" Scott replied.

"Right well, if having a degree in teaching is all it takes to work here, I can get used to this place." His baby brother said, taking a step in his closet and whistling from the sheer size of it.

Scott shook his head in dismay. "You're morals are in the wrong place Alex"

"What?" he whined, stepping out of the closet and looking at Scott. "Is it so wrong for me to be curious about the figures my older brother earns yearly? I mean last time I checked, a wedding doesn't pay for itself."

Scott gave him an awkward look, getting up off the bed and dusting a bit of lint off his shirt, checking his final appearance in the mirror. "What wedding?" he asked, reaching for the tub of gel lying on his dresser and popping open the top.

Alex and Adam exchanged looks.

"Um, your wedding" Adam replied.

"With Jean" Alex added. "You know Jean don't you? The gorgeous leggy red-head you proposed to?"

Scott snorted. "Jean and I aren't together anymore."

Widening their eyes as big as saucers, Adam and Alex stared dumbfounded at Scott while he nonchalantly rubbed gel through his hair.

"What!" Adam was the first to speak, grabbing Scott's attention by snatching the gel tub out of his hand.

"Hey!" Scott whined, trying to reach back for it but Adam kept it from his reach.

"What do you mean you and Jean aren't together anymore?"

"I mean exactly what I said." He replied, still trying to snatch back his gel. At this point his hair was doing some sort of awkward, cockatoo/Mohawk flippy thingy, as he hadn't got the chance to gel down the rest of it.

"Hey, nice hair style bro, you should leave it like that" Alex said and Scott rolled his eyes.

"Adam, give it back!" he said, finally snatching the gel tub from his brother and finishing up the rest of his hair.

"Am I the only one who's in shock here?" Adam asked, looking at his brother unbelievably.

"Apparently" Scott replied dryly, running a comb after the gel to smooth it out.

"What do you mean apparently?" Adam asked. "Scott? What happened?"

Scott sighed. He really didn't like to go into all the gory details when it came to his past relationship with Jean but since he hadn't got the chance to tell his brothers yet, he figured now was as good a time as ever. "Jean cheated on me you guys. With this stupid, roughneck, biker son-of-a-bitch named Logan. She clearly displayed she didn't want to be with me anymore and we broke it off; end of story."

Both Summers paused and looked flabbergasted at Scott, unsure of what to say before Alex decided to speak up. "Hey man, I'm sorry it happened bro"

"Yeah" Adam agreed. "Did you and her talk about it?"

"Yeah we talked. And all she could do was repeat sorry over and over again like a broken record so I pretty much got the picture and ended it from there."

"Scott man" Adam began. "I'm really sorry this happened to you. I know how much you loved h—"

"You know what Adam, really, it's no biggie. This was a long time ago, I've moved on."

"Moved on?"

"Yes, I'm ok now"

"Bro, just exactly how long ago was this?" Alex asked, furrowing his eyebrows and looking at Scott with suspicion.

"Just about three months ago; it happened at the beginning of summer."

His look of suspicion pressed further and Scott finally caught on. "What?" he asked.

"Don't give me that innocent, _what_ routine." Alex prosecuted. "You found someone else haven't you?"

Shit. He's been busted. He should have known he wouldn't be able to keep something like this from his own family. Especially Alex, he was as nosey as they come; but that still didn't mean he had to tell them about Rouge. Maybe if he dodged the whole thing, they'd leave him alone.

"No" Scott said, wondering in the bathroom and washing the remaining gel off his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"RRRRRRiiiiihgggghhhhhht" Alex dragged out. "And superman wore his underwear on the outside because he thought it was fashionable. C'mon bro, you can't hide these things from me."

"Alex, I'm not seeing anyone else ok? Jean and I are over and I'm single now."

"Single?" Alex asked.

"Yes single"

"Right so uhhhh, why are there girls clothes in your closet then?"

Opening up his closet door, Alex motioned to the side of the closet, filled with Rogue's clothes and shoes.

Double shit. When hiding all the evidence of his relationship, Scott hadn't expected anyone to wonder in his closet so he just left the clothes there. Suddenly he regretted letting Alex take a tour of his room.

"Those are all Jeans clothes she left in here." He covered up, diverting his attention to his reflection in the mirror and trying to loose eye contact with Alex. Despite his tinted glasses, Alex and Adam were about the only two people on the plant who could pierce through the protective plastic and look right into his eyes. And even if they weren't literally doing so, from the looks that they gave him sometimes, it sure as hell felt that way.

"Uh huh, yeah, Jean left her clothes in here for three months?" Alex asked. "And since when does a twenty-eight year old woman wear Abercrombie and Fitch?"

"Alright, alright, alright Alex; I get it; enough with the interrogation."

Alex grinned. "So it's true then? You are seeing someone else?"

Scott sighed. Well it was his brothers after all. If there were anyone he could trust with a secret it would be them. "Yes guys, I'm seeing someone else."

Alex grinned excitedly, while Adam gave him a look of sheer surprise. He knew his brother and he knew once Scott was heartbroken, it would take a while for his heart to heal. Who could he could have mended his heart so quickly? And who could have mended his heart so quickly that they wormed their little body into his suit?

"Who is she?" Alex drilled. "Is she hot? Does she go here? Is she new? Did you propose to her?"

"Alex, Alex, calm down, calm down" Scott steadied. "I promise, I'll fill you both in on the gory details later but for now I'm running late and I have to get to orientation."

"Oh c'mon man, I wanna know." He whined.

"I promise I'll tell you when we get some free time but in the mean time you have to promise to keep this a secret"

"Keep what a secret?" Adam asked. "You're relationship?"

"Yes"

"Why?" both asked in unison.

"Like I said, gory details will come later but for the sake of parents weekend, please, don't say a word of this to _anyone_."

"Oh God Scott did you do something illegal?" Adam asked.

"Adam please, secrecy now, details later. Please!" he pleaded.

"Alright, alright, our lips are sealed."

"You promise?"

"I swear."

"And Alex?"

"I swear I won't tell a soul; but you owe me big when you get the chance bro."

"Done; now c'mon, I gotta get to orientation before the professor has my head."

……………………………..

As another bus filled with parents arrived from the airport, it was Jean, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Hank and the professor's job to greet them in the foyer as they walked through the door.

Of course there were the children, lined up on the stairs, waiting to see if it was their parents coming through the double cherry wood doors and when they spotted them, the X-men hadn't a chance to even murmur a "Hi, how are you" before they came racing down the steps and into their parents loving arms.

It was a bittersweet moment; joyful for the kids with returning parents, heartbreaking for the ones without. And confusing for all the new parents, wondering in and trying to find any valuable information about the school before they "ship their children off".

Trotting through the midst of students down the stairs, Scott joined the X-men by their side and immediately began greeting parents just as the others were doing, mumbling a quick, "Sorry I'm late" to the professor.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Rogue, standing off to the side, nervously fidgeting with the sleeves of her collared shirt and peering over at the door, waiting for her parents to come through.

Scott felt a pang of pity for her, watching as she went through her nervous rituals and waited anxiously for her parent's arrival. She expressed to him how nervous she was, over and over again, all week long but some how all her words didn't fully fall into perspective until now when he saw her, sweating grenades and trying desperately to remain calm.

"_Poor thing"_ was all he could think as he kept on introducing himself to the parents.

And it was then that they walked through the door. Mr. And Mrs. D'Acanto, gripping onto their carry-on luggage from the plane and scanning the area for their one and only daughter.

One of last years graduates, Susie, greeted them at the front door and asked for their names so she could place it on an, "Hi, my name is…" sticker.

They complied graciously, and placed their stickers on their chests, still scanning around for their Rogue.

Since they were the last to walk in the door, the staff made their way over to greet them, the professor making all the necessary introductions.

"Good Morning" he greeted with a warm, generous smile, extending his hand for a shake. Mr. D'Acanto hardily accepted his greeting while Mrs. D'Acanto preferred a simple smile. "I'm professor Charles Xavier and this is my primary staff, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, and Logan Walker." (A/N: For the sake of parents weekend, I had to make up a last name for him.)

"Nice to meet you all" Mr. D'Acanto spoke first, his accent surprisingly sounding more like a New Yorker, than a Mississippian.

"Yes, it's a pleasure ta' meet ya'" his wife followed. Ah, and the Southernism arises.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well" the professor responded. "And I know you're primary concern right now is Marie so you'll be happy to know that she's—"

"Mom? Dad?"

They turned around to find their darling daughter standing nervously behind them, fidgeting with her sleeves again and looking up at them more frightened from a possible outbreak than happy to see them.

"Right behind you" the professor finished with a smile.

Marie took a sharp intake of breath. This was it; this was the moment. This was the first impression that would last for the whole trip and either make or brake her weekend to be a good or bad one.

"Oh Rogue darling!" her father said exasperatedly, throwing his arms around her in a bone crushing bear hug and stroking her hair lovingly.

Unsure of how to react, Rogue stood there frozen for a moment before slowly but surely, wrapping her arms back around him and awkwardly patting his back.

She hadn't expected this type of reaction from him; she hadn't expected to be hugged or embraced, missed or cared about. She had expected for her parents to come in all snooty-tooty and obnoxious, and order her to come home since she was partly "normal" again.

But now that she was experiencing it; now that she was getting the love she so longingly missed; she had to admit; it was a damn good feeling.

"I missed you so much Rogue" her father said, still holding on tight to her.

The caring and the loving from her father made her want to cry. This was the first time in years she's felt any sort of love or affection from her father. "I missed you too dad" she said, blinking back tears as they finally pulled apart.

"Oh look at this, you're gonna make and old man cry Care Bear." He said, laughing a little as he wiped his eyes.

Rogue laughed a little too, wiping the tears from her own eyes as she tried not to ruin her mascara.

"Oh look at Daddy's little Care Bear, all grown up." He said, embracing her once more. "I can't believe how fast you've grown."

She smiled again, still wiping her eyes and smiling at her father. Ah Care Bear. It's been years since she last heard that nickname and she loved the way it rolled off his tongue and graced her soul. She loved the little nicknames her and her father had for one another and over the years she's missed them.

Finally turning to her mother Rogue smiled happy to see her and her mother forced on one of her own, sighing to herself as she gave her daughter a hug. A hug significantly less embracing as her fathers with significantly less emotion.

"Marie" was all she said, as she hugged her, pulling apart way faster than her husband did and taking a moment to analyze her appearance.

"Oh Marie look at ya, ya look skinny as a pole. Aren't they feedin' ya here?"

Marie rolled her eyes. There it was; the reaction she was expecting all this time; the judgmental, obnoxious, my-child-doesn't-belong-here, reaction. And it only took one statement to find that out.

"It's nice to see you too mom." She greeted herself. "And they're feeding me just fine; I'm not skinny as a pole."

"Marie you've lost a lot of weight; too much weight. Ya look unhealthy."

"I'm fine mom. I've only shed a couple of pounds; no big deal."

She scoffed. "Say what ya want but ah see borderline anorexia. Oh and Marie what happened to your pretty brunette hair? Who gave ya permission ta' put these horrendous white streaks in it?" she said, running her for-finger through one of her streaks.

Rogue swatted her hand away. "Mom I like it and it's not Marie anymore; I hate that name. My name is Rogue."

She huffed this time. "Oh please. Marie is what is says on ya birth certificate so Marie ah will call ya. Uh an, shame on ya for shamin' your grandmamma. You were named afta' her ya' know."

Again Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Bethany Darling" Mr. D'Acanto whispered to his wife. "You promised you'd behave yourself."

"Ah, am behavin'. Ah can't help it if my daughter is slowly turnin' into a one woman felon."

"Bethany!" he whispered harshly.

"What! She is Richard, look at her! Ah thought this school was supposed to provide a valuable education, an so far, I don't see any educatin' in her."

Mr. D'Acanto sighed. And Rogue shook her head in dismay. She should have known this would happen. Things were shaping up to be just like they were at home. Her mom would make a snide remark, her dad would scold her but try and defend her, and Rogue would get frustrated and just ignore them both. I was never going to change.

Sensing the hostility, Storm decided to cut into the tension with an icebreaker, hoping that would divert the emotional distress.

"Uh, Mr. and Mrs. D'Acanto, would you like to accompany us on a tour of the mansion while Rogue prepares her things she has to show you? We've had some lovely renovations done and they're absolutely to die for."

"You've had renovations done while children were, tryin' ta' learn here?"

"We'd love to" Richard replied quickly before anyone could react to what his wife had to say. Three minutes in this place and already he was growing quickly embarrassed by his wife's slick tongue.

Storm smiled. "Great, follow me and I'll lead you and the rest of the parents."

"Right, well Care Bear I'll see you in a bit, and I want to hear everything that's happened since I've been gone ok?"

Rogue smiled, as her dad planted a loving kiss on her for head then her smile fell flat when all her mother had to say was, "I'll see you soon Marie" and left hand in hand with her father.

She sighed as she watched their backs retreat with Storm, and the whether witch lead them and the other parents on a tour of the grand institute.

"So" Hank began, uneasily as the rest of them sat there in silence, watching the parents retreat. "Those are the parents?"

"Those are the parents" Rogue confirmed with another sigh, shaking her head in dismay. She knew something like this would happen.

"God bless you" Hank replied, shaking his own head in dismay.

Rogue scoffed. "It's gonna be a long weekend"

………………………..


	21. With bickering comes power

Of Jealousy and Love ch 21

………………………………….

Sighing to herself, Rogue's eyes trailed toward the direction her parents left with Storm and she could only imagine what was going on right now. Storm would tell them something new or interesting about the mansion, her mother would make a snide little comment about it, then her dad would try and calm her down and the both of them would receive looks of disgust from the other parents trying to receive information. Yep, she was sure of it; it never failed to occur.

Shaking her head in dismay and about to retreat back up the stairs, Rogue was stopped by the professor's voice.

"Rogue?" he asked in that calm understanding voice of his, wheeling up behind her.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

Rogue sighed again. Was she all right? First she was nervous about what her parents might think of her, then she was nervous about hiding her relationship with Scott, then she was relieved to find that her dad had missed her, and then she came crashing down again when her mother started with the smart remarks.

At this point she really didn't know what she was feeling. Was there a word for such a change in emotions?

"Yes" she finally replied, decided that a lie was better then the truth at this moment; she didn't want the sympathy. "Well no" Ok so the more she thought about it; sympathy was good. "Well sort of" Maybe the truth was better. "Oh, I don't know professor." Finally the truth emerges.

The professor chuckled a bit; he could tell she was battling on the inside on weather or not to speak up.

"I know it must be hard for you Rogue, but I assure you; everything will be fine."

Wolverine snorted in the background. "Fine? Did you hear her mother Chuck? Whatta' bit—"

"Logan" the professor cut off, turning around to give him a warning stare.

Logan shrugged in defense, deciding to let the subject drop. If they didn't want his opinion that was fine; he had no problem keeping it to himself and saying I told you so when things went wary.

"Anyway Rogue, try not to worry yourself ok. I'm sure things will go ten times better than you're expecting them to."

She gave him an unsure look. Ten times better? Maybe that was too high. "Are you sure professor?"

"Positive. I'm counting on this weekend to be absolute bliss for you."

Rogue smiled. Why was it that with the simplest of words, the professor's voice could make everything seem like it was ok? She really appreciated that quality in him.

But just as she was about to thank him for it, the double cherry wood doors busted open unexpectedly and in came a dashingly gorgeous young woman with long icy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing a skin-tight mini dress with an extremely low V-cut that showed off her marvelously done boob job. She wore a sexy yet sultry smile on her face as she sauntered in, pulling her shades up atop her head and wheeling her pretty in pink luggage bag behind her.

As she walked in her eyes locked with Jean and she briefly smirked, then her eyes locked with Scott and she threw him a wink, finally she met eyes with the professor, who looked worried from the moment she stepped through the door, and her sexy smile turned into a happy one as she ran in for a hug.

She was the powerful, the conniving, the sexy, the mischievous Emma Frost, and she was back at Xavier's to stir up trouble.

"Professor Xavier how are you!" Emma exclaimed, setting her luggage on the floor and running in to hug him.

Just as Rogue had done earlier, the professor sat there frozen for a moment before his brain finally caught up with his body and he returned the favor of the hug.

The reactions from the others in the room were quite priceless however as Xavier felt his heart rate and blood pressure increase, Hank shook his head and said a silent prayer to God, Jean smirked her little head off, Logan checked her out from head to toe, Rogue looked her over with curiosity and a bit of jealousy and poor Scott felt his chest tighten and his throat close. No one, well no one who knew who she was at lease, could believe she was here.

"My Goodness Emma it's been so long, how have you been?" the professor asked once he pulled out from the embrace.

"Perfect" she replied. "Just absolutely perfect. The school is going great, the children are doing wonderful, I feel fantastic, and the recent charity drive that we conducted at the school was a huge hit. Life couldn't be any better."

The professor forced on a smile. Although he was happy to hear that things were going well for her, he couldn't help but think that there was something behind her sudden visit. It's just too bad that her telepathic capabilities were strong enough to keep him out of her mind. That's the second time he's regretted teaching another telepath how to put up mental shields. "Well that's wonderful Emma, I'm glad to hear things are going well" he said.

She smiled graciously. "Thank you"

"So what brings you into town then?" he asked. "Anything you need help with at the institute?" Right, right, like she'd actually drive all the way from Massachusetts to ask about advice for her school. That was just wishful thinking.

"Oh no, everything's perfect." She said with a smile. "I was just here because Jean invited me to come."

Suddenly all eyes went to Jean.

She flustered a bit. She didn't do so well under pressure; and considering the circumstances well, there would be a lot of conclusions drawn in a short amount of time.

"See she wanted her parents to come but they couldn't make it so she figured her best friend would be the next best thing."

Oh little Emma could lie through her pearly white teeth, was all the professor could think. He knew Jean and he knew Emma. He taught them both since they were adolescence and the two were never anywhere near best friends.

"Best friends?" Hank asked, the first to make the connections out loud. "But last I checked you two hated each other"

At the mention of said statement, a little light bulb suddenly dinged in Logan's head. Best friends who hated each other? Something was fishy was going on here and some how he expected Jean to be behind it.

"Well apparently you haven't checked in recently have you?" Emma responded with a friendly chuckle. "Jean and I patched things up years ago."

The group exchanged looks. "You did?" Hank asked.

"Of course!" Emma replied. "We realized all our silly pettiness was in the past and we had nothing more to argue about. We're cool now."

"Cool now?" Hank asked again, still seemingly in shock that the two were even speaking to one another.

All eyes turned to Jean again and she fidgeted a little under the pressure for the second time.

"Like the other side of the pillow" she replied through a phony smile. A phony smile that the professor could see through like fiberglass. But he dare not bring it up; he wanted nothing to ruin this weekend.

"Well then Emma, it's always a pleasure to see you, and I hope we can catch up some time today but if you'll excuse me, I have an orientation to prepare for."

"Oh of course professor, carry on. I'll be sure to stay out of your way."

"_For the sake of this weekend Emma, I pray to God that you do. And you know what I'm talking about."_ He replied telepathically.

Emma plastered on the same phony smile Jean had done not two seconds ago, yet hers was more believable. "_I have no idea professor"_ she lied, determined not to break her shield. She was a very strong telepath, unfortunately not strong enough to go against the professors' own telepathic ability, but she'd be dammed if she caved in this early.

Charles sighed. He was pushing in but attempting to push in to far and it was giving him a headache. He might as well save this for later and hope for the best. "Right well, I'm sure Jean will be more than happy to show you where you'll be staying" he said aloud.

"I'm sure she will" Emma said cheerfully, linking arms with Jean. "And I'm sure she'd be happy to give me a tour of the mansion after these lovely renovations have been done."

Jean inwardly smiled. She was buttering up. Emma was always good at buttering up to the professor. But she had heard the telepathic warning between the two and somehow she didn't think the professor was buying it. They'd have to tread softly.

"Right well, if you'll excuse me" Charles said, before reversing his wheelchair from the group and wheeling away, Hank following in tow.

"Emma Frost, eh ol' chum?" the big blue man asked once out of hearing range. "You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know something's going on."

The professor sighed. "Yes I know Hank" he said. "And I can feel the migraine starting already."

"Hold in there pal" Hank reassured with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure we can make it"

Again he sighed an exhausted sigh. "I pray to God you're right Hank."

…………..

"So Jean" Emma began after watching the professor and Hank descend down the corridor. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

Jean snapped out of her "tread softly" daze and turned to Emma. "Oh right, sorry." She said. "Well um this is Logan, the new P.E teacher and this is Rouge a graduate of last year, and you already know—"

"Scott Summers" Emma finished, detaching herself from Jean's arm and giving Scott a lustful smirk, approaching him like a lion would its prey.

Scott froze in his spot like a deer caught in headlights and gulped, while Rogue watched intently. She could feel her jealousy meter beginning to rise and already she could tell she didn't like this woman.

"Well, well, well Mr. Summers" Emma began, folding her arms sexily across her chest, pushing her cleavage up tenfold.

Scott gulped again, this time physically. "_Dammit! Look away Scott, look away! Do not be hypnotized by the breasts! Think of your __**own**__ girlfriends breasts but for the love of God, do not look at…………….dear sweet Jesus they're beautiful. No! Snap out of it!"_ he mentally battled with himself.

Emma fought back the urge to laugh, hearing every thought loud and clear and when she passed the message on to Jean, the red head let go of a suppressed giggle.

Logan shot her a glance and noted this. He was still in suspicion of something strange going on, yet meanwhile he was mesmerized by Emma's glorious cleavage as well.

"How have you been? Long time no see huh?" she asked, dramatically shifting her weight to one side of her body, causing her torso to bounce a little.

Scott shut his eyes tight. "_Don't do it Summers!_ _This is bound to get you into trouble."_ "It's uh………..it's been uh…………..will you excuse me Emma, I have to go uh, check on…….well………something."

And with that he made a hasty exit.

Jean giggled as she watched him leave, Rogue gave Scott a confused look and Emma a jealous one, Logan marked Scott's exit as one for his suspicion book as well and Emma smirked watching him go.

"_Yup"_ she thought, basking in her own glory. "_I still got it_."

……………………………..

Rogue sat down at her old desk and sighed.

She was in Ms. Munroe's old room, along with a couple of other graduates, and they were all sitting by their old desks, with their achievements piled high on it, waiting for their parents to come in and see them.

Some parents already wondered in, like Bobby's for instance, hugging and kissing their children with proud gestures of affection and apologizing countlessly for not being able to show for graduation. But the former students appreciated the glory, even if it was late, and shared the warmth of their families.

Rogue's parents however, were probably off some where, arguing over God knows what and getting into quarrels with God knows who. It was embarrassing to think about and she'd honestly rather not think about it but with parents swarming the mansion like bees in a hive, it was kind of hard to rid that from her mind.

That is unless she thought about this Emma Frost girl.

She didn't know what it was about her but ever since she came bursting through those double doors, something about Miss Frost tweaked her jealousy nerve.

Maybe it was the fact that she was pretty.

Well no actually, pretty was an understatement. She was drop dead gorgeous. Especially considering she was probably darn near thirty if she knew Jean, she made those models in those anti-aging commercials look like a bummed out hobos wondering the streets.

Maybe it was because she had close ties with the professor.

Oh no, that couldn't be it. She was never jealous of who was a friend of the professor. He had all these friends across the globe and it never bothered her before. Heck if that was the case then she would have been in a catfight with Magneto ages ago.

Maybe it was because she was sauntering over to Scott like some whore in a cat suit and was practically thrusting her cleavage in his face.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Rogue was jealous over Miss Emma Frost stealing her man. A feeling she was oh so familiar with after the whole, Jean vs. Logan thing and wasn't to pleased about having it graced upon her emotions again.

She saw how some of the boys watched in hormone curiosity as Miss Frost passed by through the halls; she didn't just turn heads, she broke necks. And she sure as hell was breaking Scott's because he looked like he was shitting bricks when she was speaking to him.

She could tell that there must have been some connection between her and Scott in the past. Some connection that made Jean spite the blonde beauty and some connection as to why, Hank was so curious about the two being best friends. Some connection that made Scott gulp down his Adam's apple and some connection that put that worried look on the professor's face.

But whatever that connection was, it made her feel threatened.

Although she already had Scott, and he promised to never hurt her or break her heart, she felt as though she had competition to win him over. This new, gorgeous, leggy, voluptuous competition who seemed as though she would not back down until she got what she wanted.

And that scared Rogue to death.

"Is this the room here?" the distinction of a southern drawl, caught Rogue's attention and snapped her out of her jealous haze.

Turning her attention toward the door, Rogue caught sight of her mother and father walking through the door along with a few other parents and a few of her old teachers.

She sighed as she stood up, fixing her blouse and her hair quickly, before greeting her parents with a smile. (But of course it was a forced one; she was really trying to keep her mother from any more snooty-tooty remarks.)

"Oh Marie honestly, you should really put ya' hair in a ponytail or sumthin'. Those hideous streaks are coverin' your pretty face." Her mother said, attempting to brush the strands of white to the back of her head.

Rogue rolled her eyes. If only she knew what really happened, then maybe she wouldn't pester her as much. "It's fine mom" she said, again swatting her hands away.

"So how was the tour?" she asked, turning to her father for small talk.

He looked as though he was distracted by something else, as he was staring out the window in a daze, but he snapped out of it when he heard his daughter's voice, sending her an award-winning smile.

"Oh it was lovely Care Bear. This really is a fine institution here" he replied.

Rogue gently smiled. She wondered what her dad was thinking about.

Her mother snorted however. "Humpf. Institution is not the word" she replied.

"Bethany!" Richard growled out through clenched teeth. He really was tired of her outbursts.

Mrs. D'Acanto rolled her eyes at her husband and turned to Rogue. Marie darling, you're 18 now aren't ya? N' ya already graduated from high school."

"_Gee glad you noticed"_ Rogue thought sarcastically. "So reads my diploma mom" Rogue replied dryly, taking the framed piece of paper off her desk to show her parents. She had graduated with a 5.0 GPA only missing Valedictorian by one point to Kitty but being Salutatorian wasn't bad either; she was still invited to the top 10 percent breakfast the professor hosted.

"That's fantastic honey" Bethany said, not even noticing the big, 5.0 in huge font, smacked slap dab in the middle of it. "But like I was saying, you're 18 now, you graduated high school, why don't you come on back to Mississippi."

She rolled her eyes. She knew this was coming; she just hadn't expected it would show up so soon.

"Bethany" Richard growled again. "We promised we'd talk about this later."

Rogue stared at her father. He was in on this too? This was unbelievable.

"You're wasting time Richard! Unlike you, I want our daughter to come home and stay with me A.S.A.P"

Here attention turned back to her mother. What did she mean stay with her?

As the two began to argue in a harsh whisper, Rogue looked around the room, and watched how Bobby's parents ruffled his hair in pride and showered him in kisses for what a fine job he's done, and Kitty's rather pregnant mother squished her tiny frame in a big bear hug, both her parents ecstatic upon hearing their baby was Valedictorian. Rogue swore if they got any more excited, Mrs. Pryde would go into labor right then and there but she was sure that would bring even more excitement rather than panic.

Her eyes then scanned across the room toward Jubilee and her folks, as Ororo explained to them what a pleasure it was to have their daughter in her class, and her parents hugged her with glee. Then she looked over toward Peter, whose parents were having a discussion with Jean (which Peter translated) about how successful the young lad had been in science. Again more hugs and showers of kisses were exchanged.

And then finally there was John. Poor, poor John whom she expected to be alone on this weekend was actually accompanied by family, showering him in kisses as well as Scott explained how John was actually quite good in math. Provided he actually applied himself, he could have received more than a C, but Scott expressed that he did see a potential math genius in him.

John was showered in hugs and kisses as well, which he found to be quite embarrassing as it was his older sister who showed up on their parents behalf, but everyone knew, deep down inside, he enjoyed it. As a little family was really all he needed for a pick me up.

Then Rogue stared at her own parents, still arguing and bickering over this foolish when to ask her to move back home ordeal and it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Why were her parents doing this to her? Why were they being so selfish? Did they not understand that this weekend was about her?

Sure she had expected this sort of thing to happen but when she looked around at her friends and classmates, who had equal if not worse issues with their parents about their mutant heritage, she saw every problem and every issue being melted away by the sheer pride and joy they received from reuniting with their children.

There was nothing better for a parent, to see the accomplishments and success of their children and to know that they have equipped them with the materials they needed to become an outstanding member of society.

But more importantly, there was nothing better for a parent with a child in a boarding school, to reunite and hold them again, kiss them again, see them again, love them again, and be reminded of the being you created and the joy your heart gets from just being in their presence.

So why couldn't her parents get that?

Why did her parents have to argue, fuss, fight and bicker about all the things that should have been left at the door the moment they came in?

Why did her parents not care to hear about her graduation, her report card, her extra curricular activities, and her newfound ability to suppress her mutation?

Why were her parents so selfish?

Why didn't they care?

A lone tear trickled down Rogue's cheek and when her father caught a glimpse of it out the corner of his eye, he stopped mid-sentence. "You're always doing this Bethany. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I—Care Bare, why are you crying?" he asked, giving his daughter his undivided attention.

He wiped the trickling tear off of her cheek and pulled her in for a hug but Rogue refused. "Just forget about it dad, it's not important"

"Well it has to be important if it made you cry sweet pea."

"Ya' upset her, that's what ya' did Richard" her mother butted in, crossing her arms over her chest.

Richard glared daggers at her. "Bethany please, this is our daughter were talking about here, can we please leave our issues out of it?"

"Why? Our issues have everything ta' do with it"

Rogue shook her head in dismay as two more tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe they were doing it again.

"Why? Why must you always do this Bethany? I can't take you anywhere anymore without the sarcasm"

Mrs. D'Acanto snorted again as she stared down her husband. "I don't remember asking ya' to. Ahm, here because of our daughter."

More tears fell down and Rogue could feel a headache coming on. "Stop it" she begged in a meek little voice, raising her hand to her temple at the sudden pain.

"Are you really?" Richard asked. "Because since you've gotten here, all I'm seeing you do is nag and nit pick at everything."

"Oh now look at whose calling who a nag." She said.

Suddenly the pain intensified, Rogue cringed a little from the migrain and held another hand to the side of her head. "Mom, Dad, please."

"_I _nag?" Richard asked. "_You_ are calling _me_ a nag?" he asked, completely shocked.

"Don't sound so surprised Richard. You've been naggin' since the day I met ya'"

Her head felt like it was going to explode. She felt this searing pain pounding through her temples like she felt when she was sucking the life out of Magneto, yet it seemed to be accompanied by the slight panging she felt when the professor probed her mind during her sessions with him, only it was intensified immensely.

She didn't know if she could take this arguing much longer.

"Mom, Dad, please stop" she begged. But they didn't hear her. They kept at it and with each word they bickered, the pain got worse.

Rogue whimpered a little, shutting her eyes tight and trying to think of something else, but the arguing was ringing in her ears and the pain was stampeding through her mind, not allowing her to construct the simplest of thoughts.

The room suddenly began to shudder and the lights began to flicker, slowly but surely growing more and more intense as her headache grew and the arguing continued.

The conversations in the room were drawing to a pause and all the attention was directed at the dysfunctional family and their bickering, while poor Rouge clutched her pounding head in pain.

"Mom, Dad, please" she pleaded. "Please stop." But they were oblivious about what was going on around them.

The room began to shudder like a shack atop a collapsing hill in an earthquake, and pictures began falling off the wall. The lights were flashing on and off and the blinds on the window were opening and shutting furiously.

Parents around the room began to panic a bit, hugging onto their children for safety and crying, "Earthquake" as they ducked under the nearest table.

The X-men knew better however, and knew that they had better stop this before it got out of control.

Unfortunately they and Mr. and Mrs. D'Acanto were too late for when they finally realized what was going on and stopped their arguing, Rogue let go of a cry of pain and the windows busted open, shattering into pieces before everything suddenly stopped.

There was complete and utter shock around the room as slowly but surely parents and children got up off the floor and began to speculate the cause of all this, and Mr. And Mrs. D'Acanto prayed that this all wasn't the cause of their daughter. Just how powerful was she?

Rogue however could only whimper, taking a quick survey of the damage she'd just done, before collapsing to her knees and sobbing in her hands. There wasn't really much left to do and it was all that seemed reasonable.

Her parents felt guilty.

"Sweet Pea" her dad began, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. He was cautious as he did so, a little afraid of the power she held and what she could do to him but he knew she needed a little remorse right about now.

"No!" she yelled, swatting his hand away fiercely. "Leave me alone! Don't you touch me!"

Mr. D'Acanto was utterly flabbergasted at his daughter's reaction, and he didn't know what to do other than to watch her cry. He suddenly felt like all of this was his fault.

"Rogue sweetheart"

It was Ororo who approached her now and kneeled down to her level to look her in the eyes. "Are you ok honey?" she asked, sweeping a bit of hair from her face.

Rogue shook her head no, turning to Ororo with sad eyes. "No" she sobbed. "I am not ok."

Storm frowned an apologetic frown and sighed, embracing the younger woman in a hug. The poor thing must have been going through a lot right now, as she knew such a sudden burst of immense power could have only come from an emotionally distressed mutant.

"It's ok hun, you'll be ok" she said reassuringly, lovingly stroking her hair.

She felt a bit of comfort flow back to her once in the arms of Storm and a whole lot of love while she stroked her hair. It was a shame how a woman who at one point was a complete stranger to her brought her more love and comfort than her own parents did, and the thought of that upset Rogue a bit more.

"Look why don't we get you downstairs to the infirmary, and have Hank check you out for a bit ok?" Storm asked and Rogue nodded, figuring anywhere, even the infirmary, was better than here. "I promise it won't take long" she said while helping her up. "You probably just need some rest ok?" she soothed and Rogue nodded again, embracing the whether goddess and following her down to the infirmary, leaving the room in silence.

The professor, who had wheeled in when he felt the commotion stirring up, sighed for probably the billionth time since this day has started.

"_This weekend is officially a mess_"

…………………………………………..

And the drama continues! And it's far from over folks. Please review!!!


	22. A promise

Of Jealousy and Love ch 22

………………………………………

"And look upward…….downward……….right………..left…….breath in for me once……………and slowly let it out."

"Is she going to be ok Hank?" Ororo asked in concern, holding Rogue's hand through out the whole examination.

Sighing to himself, Hank let the stethoscope drop from Rogue's chest and scribbled something on his clipboard, reviewing over the notes he made earlier.

"Well physically, there's nothing wrong with you Rogue" he reported, making a few more scribbles here and there. "You're as healthy as a horse."

Rogue sighed, slouching over on the patient table. Well that was certainly news to her. Although she may have been physically healthy as a horse, she felt like crap. "I certainly don't feel that way" she said, looking down in remorse. "Professor" she asked, turning to face the man who was in the room as well. "What happened? Why did the room shudder? And how did I brake those windows?"

The professor sighed, wheeling closer to address her properly and look her in the eyes. "Emotional distress." He answered simply, though his tone lacked much simplicity; it was fully of worriment, concern and stress. "It happens to all of us when we're feeling emotionally distraught and it is often how the mutant gene is triggered to set off in the first place; heightened emotional distress."

Rogue sighed again. "Well I know that professor" she said quietly, knowing her parents arguing was the basis for her outburst; she just didn't understand how. "I mean I can't stand to hear my parents argue."

"Oh honey" Ororo sympathized, rubbing a reassuring hand on her back. She truly felt sorry for the poor girl. She seemed to be the only one having trouble with her parents return.

"But I wanna' know why professor" Rogue asked. "Why did I have an outbreak like that? I thought that was something only telepaths could do."

The professor sighed again. "For the most part it is Rogue, but as I mentioned to you when you first arrived here with your unique mutation, the possibilities of your gifts are endless."

She shook her head in confusion not quite sure if she was understanding here. "But professor, I thought you taught me how to control it. I thought you taught me how to control when I want to absorb powers. And even so I haven't touched you or Jean recently. How could I have—"

"Rogue once you absorb someone's power, someone's memory or someone's knowledge, it stays with you forever. It may not present itself everyday but it's stored in your subconscious memory, only to be released in times of desperation or emotional despair like we've seen today." He explained.

"I may have taught you to control your power on the exterior but on the interior level, it's much more intense."

"Intense?"

"Rogue you're power has reached a level in which you don't need to physically touch someone in order to borrow their gifts. Merely coming into close contact with the person, allows you to borrow fractions and pieces of their power each and everyday. Provided this absorption isn't enough to suck the life out of them as you did when you touched them physically but as we all know, little pieces add up into big pieces and I'm almost positive that there isn't one student in this mansion that you don't have the ability to imitate. You probably have so many powers and abilities stored in your subconscious mind that you literally have the capability to do anything you set your mind to."

Whoa. That was some hefty information right there.

All this time with her mutation, three years to be exact, and she had never known what she had just found out today. She always thought she was just some powerless mutant, not able to do much with her mutation but suck the life out of those she cared about and she never imagined having a power so intense like the professor had described.

If she had a dollar for every mutant she ever come into close range with, she'd probably be a millionaire by now. And to know that just by standing close enough to them, she could absorb a piece of their ability _forever_ well, the professor was just about right; she could do anything she set her mind to; literally.

Oh jeez, this was a lot to take in. On top of the parents issue, on top of hiding her relationship with Scott, on top of figuring out this Emma Frost character, finding out about this new ability was beginning to give her a headache.

She groaned a bit, raising another hand to her temple and sighing.

"I know it's a lot of information to take in right now Rogue. It's never easy finding out about the abilities you have."

"_Gee golly, he can read me like a book."_ She thought to herself and Ororo gave her another reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"How long have you known this professor?" she asked aloud. "How long have you known I could do this?"

The professor sighed. "For awhile I'm afraid." He responded truthfully. "I meant to tell you earlier, when you gained control of your physical absorption, but you were going through so much at the time, so I waited until I thought you'd be ready and I could teach you how to safely unlock your subconscious mind."

She nodded.

"I never meant for you to find out this way Rogue. Not here; not like this. And I apologize for keeping it from you."

She sighed. "It's alright professor." She said. "I understand why you did it, and truthfully, I don't think there'd ever be a time when I was ready to hear news like this."

"It's alright Rogue. You haven't contracted a deadly disease; you've just matured in your mutation. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah I know." She said. "But in the words of Spiderman, _With great power comes great responsibility, _and I've been getting a lot of responsibilities lately."

The professor smiled a bit. It was good to see that she was taking this better than he thought she would. "All apart of growing up." He said. "But I'm sure you can manage it; you're a bright girl."

She smiled. "Thanks professor"

"Right so well, now that we've got that covered, Rogue why don't you take the rest of the day and—"

Before the professor could finish however the double doors to the lab came sliding open and in rushed Scott with a worried and concerned look plastered all over his face.

Rogue smiled a bit, glad to see he braved the judgmental thoughts of parents weekend to check on her (sort of) and he was so concerned about her well being.

He immediately rushed to her side and embraced her in a hug, letting go a sigh of relief when he saw that she was physically ok, and checking her body for any sort of bruises.

"Oh God Rogue I was so worried about you." He said hugging her again and again in between checking her body for any abnormalities. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine"

"Is your head ok?"

"I'm fine"

"Did Hank check you out?"

"I'm fine"

"Did you talk with the professor?"

"I'm fine"

"Oh God Rogue I was so worried about you."

This time she giggled a bit. She could see that he really was fretting. It was readable all over his face and body expressions. But it did her a world of good to know that he was so concerned; she knew he really did care about her.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked, sweeping a curtain of hair from your eyes. "You really scared me back there."

"Yes Scott I'm fine. According to Hank I'm as healthy as a horse" she said, looking up to him with a genuine smile.

Scott briefly turned to Hank. "Is she really Hank?" he asked.

The big blue man smiled. "Take a look at the charts for yourself; she's fine." He said flashing the clipboard in Scott's direction.

Scott sighed, hopping up on the patient's table next to Rogue and taking one of her arms in his. "So what happened then?" he asked. "Why did you react like that?"

Now it was Rogue's turn to sigh and she casually slapped a palm on Scott's thigh. "It's a long story my friend." She replied. "A long a complicated story that I'll have to explain to you later."

"Is everything alright?"

She sighed again. "Peachy keen off the surface I guess. But underneath the belly of the beast, something's brewing."

Scott quirked a confused eyebrow. "What?"

"Don't worry Scott I'll explain later but seriously, everything's fine"

"Rogue what's going o—"

"Comforting now, explaining later" she interrupted and Scott sighed before smiling, and planting a kiss on her forehead. He didn't like rushing down to the med lab with a stroke just about to pulse through his veins and then receive a mediocre answer from her and a promise of an explanation for later but as of now, there really wasn't much he could do about it so he figured he'd just deal.

"Alright" he said uneasily, stroking his thumb across her hand. "But promise me Rogue, as soon as you get the chance you'll explain."

"Scouts honor" she said with a raise of two fingers. "I promise."

"Good" he said, planting another wet one on her. "And you sure you're ok?"

"Scott" she giggled a bit, leaning her head in on his shoulder. "I told you ten thousand times, I'm fine. Quit worrying so much" she added with a nudge.

"Well excuse me" he said nudging her back. "My girlfriend nearly causing an earthquake that rates a 5 on the Rictor Scale is grounds for worrying, wouldn't you agree?"

She smiled against his chest. "I guess so," she answered softly, loving the ministrations of his hand on her arm. "Thanks" she said, nudging him again.

Scott smiled, kissing the middle of her head. "Your Welcome"

They were so into one another that they complete forgot that anyone else is in the room until those double doors came sliding open once again and in walked two new comers; one rather loud and the other relaxed and mellow, checking out the place while he followed the first one.

"There you are Scott!" came the outburst of Alex Summers.

As soon as the two new members walked into the room, Rogue parted from Scott faster than she could say his name.

"I've been searching all over this palace for you!" he added. "Then when I finally found you, you just took off, jetting down the hallway and you……….oh my God is this a hospital?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Alex what are you doing down here? Can you not read the signs that say authorized personnel only?"

"Well I'm accompanied by authorized personnel, does that count?"

"Who?"

"You dummy. I'm here with you now aren't I?"

Scott slapped his forehead and Alex grinned, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"So uhm, Scott" Adam began, breaking the brief awkward silence that had dropped with the clearing of his throat. "Who are your friends?"

"Oh right" Scott said, snapping out of his daze. "Um, you already know the professor, he sent you the invitation" he said, pointing to the professor who smiled graciously.

"Sent us the invitation? He paid for our flight too; round trip." Alex said. "As far as I'm concerned, the man is our best friend" he said with a grin.

Scott turned to the professor to give him a questioning glance but the dean sent him a _don't worry about it _look so he brushed it off. "Right well uh, I don't know if you remember Storm, she's a coworker of mine."

The whether goddess smiled graciously. "Nice to see you again."

"And this is Hank, part time secretary of mutant affairs and part time mutant genetics researcher."

"Nice to meet you" the big blue man said.

"And this is Rogue, my girlfriend"

The last introduction caused some what of a group pause as Hank, the professor and Storm thought that they were keeping it a secret from everyone, Rogue was shocked that he told, and Adam and Alex were surprised that she looked so…………..young.

"Scott" Rogue whined through wide eyes and clenched teeth. "I thought we promised we wouldn't tell anyone." She reminded.

He felt bad for making her fret like that, and for causing a brief surge of worry but he never did get the chance to tell her that he mentioned they're relationship to his brothers, so he figured now would be as good a time as ever.

Scott threw her his best sympathy look. "Uhhhhh…………sorry about that babe, I never got around to telling you. I kinda' sorta', mentioned our relationship to them when they were in our room earlier and caught sight of your clothes. It was really an accident I swear, I didn't mean for them to find out so soon, but I promise you they're lips are sealed, they're absolutely sworn to secrecy."

"Oh yeah you can definitely trust us" Adam reassured. "Our lips are way more than sealed, they're stapled."

"Yeah, I can definitely keep secrets" Alex added. "Like that time I never told Nana and Grandpop that it was Scott who broke her favorite one of a kind vase………I mean…….except until now." He said, catching onto his mistake. "But they're not here right now, so it doesn't really count"

Adam rolled his eyes and Scott shook his head. "I apologize." The eldest Summers brother said to Rogue. "Although it was actually Scott who was dropped on his head as a youth, Alex suffers greatly from the sympathy pains"

Alex glared while Rogue giggled lightly. She was still a little skeptical about their knowing of her and Scott's relationship but she figured Scott's brothers could be trusted. After all they were _Scott's_ brothers. If that didn't scream trustworthy, she didn't know what did. "It's ok" she answered truthfully. "I'm just a little surprised is all."

"Surprised?" Alex asked. "Who are you telling? When Scott told me he had another girlfriend, you would probably be the last girl I suspected."

Rogue frowned and Scott gave him a questionable eyebrow.

"No, no, no, not that it's an insult or anything. I mean your gorgeous and all and I'm sure you two make a lovely couple it's just that she's so…………….and your so…………….and well……."

"Go on, you can say it Alex, she's young." Scott urged on.

"Well yeah! I mean I was expecting like, that Emma Frost girl or something."

Once her name was spoken, Alex slapped his hand over his mouth after realizing his second mistake and dead silence filled the air. No one moved, no one breathed, no one spoke; they only stood there like frozen statues and tried to figure out what to do or what to say next that wouldn't upset anyone.

It was funny how the mention of one woman's name could cause such a reaction, and if the woman in question was down there herself, she'd probably get quite a kick out of it.

"Alex you idiot!" Adam whispered harshly, slapping his younger brother upside the head.

Alex cringed. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, I completely forgot…..I wasn't thinking…..I……I'm sorry Scott"

Scott shook his head in dismay. Another awkward situation accomplished, thanks to his younger brother.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go. You know, I saw this…..this vase upstairs and it was…..it was absolutely stunning. I think…..I think I'll just go and look at that for a bit."

"Yeah you go and do that" Scott replied.

"And I'll make sure you don't do anything stupid along the way" Adam said, following the cringing Summers out the room.

Another wave of awkward silence filled the air and within a few seconds, Rogue turned to Scott and asked him that dreaded question he longed not to hear.

"Scott?"

"Yes babe?" His tone was high-pitched and worried, and it was accompanied by the unwillingness to answer.

"Who's Emma Frost?"

There it was. The question he hoped never to hear, the question he prayed could be put behind him, the question that either created mass tension in all his relationships or destroyed them. The question that led to the woman who rose from hell.

"Emma Frost?" Scott asked. "You mean Emma Frost that came this morning?" He was trying to play stupid. Maybe by some false chance of luck, there were two Emma Frosts in the world. Or maybe the real Emma Frost had her identity stolen.

"Yes, that Emma Frost" Rogue confirmed. "Who is she?"

He tried to play it off. He gave her one of those, "phhh, it's nothing" snorts and waved it off with his hand. "Oh that Emma Frost. She's just a friend of Jean's Rogue, nothing to worry about."

"I never said I was worried." Rogue replied and Scott gulped. Damn; she caught him on that one. "I asked who she was"

"I told you babe, she's one of Jean's friends"

She eyed Scott skeptically. There was something he wasn't telling her; he was very vague in his answers. And quite honestly she didn't appreciate his secrecy. "So why do you get so antsy when someone mentions her?"

"Antsy? Me antsy? No, that's just your imagination Rogue; no one is antsy around here." He replied tugging on the collar of his polo a bit. "Is it just me or is it hot in here?"

Rogue placed a hand on her hip. He was playing around now. He was trying to make light of the heavy situation and she didn't appreciate it. "Scott" she said in that all knowing tone. "I'm serious, who is she?"

Scott dropped his head in defeat. "_I'm gonna kill Alex I swear" _he thought before sighing and turning to face Rogue.

He opened his mouth to explain and sighed again. "Alright I'll tell you but I think you should know before I explain that none of this was my fault ok?"

Rogue gave him a pressing look.

"I'm serious Rogue. It really _wasn't my fault_. This is my first attempt at honesty here."

"Yeah ok I get it; now who is she?"

Scott sighed again and mumbled a silent prayer to himself before opening his mouth for a response. "Emma is an old student who used to go here. She came when she was like I don't know ten or something and ever since she walked through the doors, she's been bitter rivals with Jean"

"Mmmhmmmm, go on."

"Well I got here when I was about 15 and then me and Jean started dating when I was 17."

"Uh-huh"

"I wasn't informed that Jean and Emma hated each other so much until after we started dating and as it so happened, Emma had the hugest crush on me—which I didn't know about at the time by the way— and since I was dating Jean before I could give her a chance, she wasn't' very happy."

"Uh-huh. So that still doesn't explain why you get so weird around her."

"I'm getting to that."

"Right, well, keep going"

"Ok so um, long story short, Emma spent all her time, learning the telepathic skills of Xavier—"

"She's a telepath?"

"Yes"

"Oh"

"Right so she learned how to adapt in her telepathy from Xavier but her morals were being influenced by Magneto and she spent most of her time, mentally torturing other kids from her own aggression or trying to find ways to corrupt me and Jean's relationship. She and Jean often fought mental battles all the time now that I think about it. It was quite amusing to watch actually in the danger room when they hurled inanimate objects at one another and then they—" Scott paused when he saw Rogue was giving him a look about the tangent he was running off into. "Oh, sorry."

"So yeah anyway, long story short she develops into this class five mutant with the priorities of the brotherhood almost and then when I was about nineteen she well………….she uhh………"

"She what Scott?" Rogue urged. He was finally getting to the point and now he was falling flat. She really wanted to know; no scratch that, she really _needed_ to know.

"Now remember when I said it wasn't my fault ok?"

"Ok yeah I remember what you said, now what did she do?"

"She uhhhh, well…………….Jean and Ororo were gone for the evening and we were kind of alone in the mansion and well………..she new I was a sucker for those damn halter tops and she well……….she um…………"

"Scott, spit it out."

"Shebrainwashedmetosleepwithher"

Pausing for a moment, Rogue threw him a ghastly stunned expression, followed by a perplexed one and her brain was in so much shock, she really couldn't figure out anything to say but, "What?"

Scott sighed again. Look up into the ceiling for an answer. Jesus God it was agonizing enough as it was, must he repeat it? "She brain washed me to sleep with her." He pronounced slowly.

Now Rogue had real grounds for being in shock; she was sure she heard it this time. Scott Summers? Loyal, trustworthy, dependent Scott Summers cheated on his girlfriend? This put a whole new outlook on how she saw him. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe he cheated. After all he's been feeding her on lies and deception, and how Jean was wrong for what she did, he went and did the same thing. And to make matters worse, the woman he cheated with is back in the house.

"Scott……………" She began, stunned speechless from the load of information. "You _cheated_ on Jean?"

"No, no, no, I did not technically cheat on Jean, Rogue." He corrected. "I was brainwashed. Remember my disclaimer? Out little discussion about this not being my fault?"

"How could it not be your fault Scott? It takes two to tango."

"No, you don't understand, I have speculation to believe that—"

"Speculation? You speculated that she brainwashed you? You don't even know? How could you be so sure?"

"The professor agrees" he defended. "He did some mental digging and even he found that it wasn't in my nature."

Rogue suddenly turned to the professor who looked extremely sympathetic towards Scott. He could only imagine how hard it must be for him to explain this to her.

"Is this true professor?" she asked.

The professor snapped out of his sympathy phase. "Excuse me?"

"Is he telling the truth? Did you really think he was brainwashed?"

"Oh yes definitely. I know Miss Frost very well and I'm quite positive she has the capability and mindset to do such a thing. Plus Cyclops was showing the aftermath symptoms of mind control, headache, light sensitivity, delay in response, I have no doubt in my mind that she pulled it off."

Rogue sighed, accepting the professor's honesty but still a little skeptical about the issue as a whole. So the professor backed him up. And maybe in the crazy world of mutants, being brainwashed could possibly be a valid excuse for cheating, but she wasn't sure.

"C'mon babe" Scott said, resting his hands on her shoulders and then slipping them around her waist, pulling her into him. "You know I'm not the type to cheat. I'm a honest guy, and you know I'm a one-woman man anyway"

"You also knew that Jean was a one-man woman but look how that turned out."

Scot sighed. "No, I knew Jean was a one-man woman, _before_ Logan came to the mansion. And who cares how it turned out anyway. The point is, despite all that terrible stuff that came out of it, our breaking up lead me to you and I couldn't be happier."

He tapped her chin and Rogue couldn't help but smile. (Although she tried her best to suppress it) Why was it that every time she tried to be mad at him, he sweet-talked his way out of it?

"Are you buttering up to me Scott?"

"I don't know, depends; is it working?"

She giggled. "A little" she said, fondling with his tie.

"Guess I'll have to do a bit more buttering then." He replied with a smile.

She sighed. "You make it impossible for me to be mad at you"

Scott grinned. "That's the plan"

Laughing a bit, she playfully slapped him on the chest before pulling out of his embrace. "But seriously speaking Scott, this Emma Frost chick she's really—"

"Nothing to worry about babe, I promise you"

Rogue sighed, giving him a skeptical look.

Scott returned the favor. "I'm serious Rogue, I can handle her." He reassured. "Please don't worry yourself into a coma, you have enough on your plate for this weekend alone."

Rogue fidgeted with her blouse. "I know, I know" she said meekly. "But I can't help it. Just by looking at her she's………she's……….intimidating." Rogue confessed.

"You don't have to be intimidated by her Rogue."

"Well I am. I mean not only is the woman drop dead gorgeous but she has the power of mind control. If she could do this to you once then, well……………..sure things come in two's Scott."

"I thought they came in threes?"

"Scott!" Rogue whined.

Scott chuckled a bit pulling her back in his arms. "No I'm just kidding babe" he said nuzzling her neck but she only pulled away.

"No" she whined again. "Why do you always joke around when I'm trying to be serious?"

"Cause' I like to see that beautiful smile." He said, tapping her chin again.

Again Rogue tried to suppress her grin. Oh he was definitely good at this; He was definitely a charmer.

"Scott" was all she could find herself saying without trying to smile.

Scott laughed. "There it is, I got the smile." He said, once catching it full on.

"Scott seriously, I'm trying to talk to you here."

He sighed. "Alright, alright." Cyclops said, taking her hands in his. "But in all seriousness Rogue she really is nothing to worry about."

"How do you know that?"

"Because Emma brainwashed me ten years ago, when I was young and immature. I'm not nineteen anymore, I've grown up, and believe me, I've learned the tricks of the trade."

Rogue eyed him suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that I know what to look out for when I'm dealing with her and I have better self control. Brainwashed or not, I have a better resistance to mind control—compliments of dating Jean for so long— and believe me when I say, I'm not going to be the only one looking out for Emma's little pranks."

"Well who else is gonna' do it? Certainly not Jean"

"I will" Ororo said, speaking up for the first time since Scott arrived in the med-lab.

Rogue turned to the weather goddess. "You will?" she asked. She was surprised someone else would take a stand in aiding her with her relationship problems. Though Ororo was often concerned for the issues that went on in everyone's life, Rogue often thought of things like cheating passed lovers to be a bit to personal for her.

"Oh of course. I was never really comfortable with Emma since the day she got here and her sneaky habits have caused nothing but trouble. Especially since it's parents weekend and we can't afford any more dramas and miss happenings that are likely to occur, we need to take extra precaution."

"Oh"

"And besides, you and Scott make an adorable couple; I wouldn't want anything to ruin that." She smiled.

Rogue smiled in return. Such a nice lady she was; Ororo was always her favorite teacher. "Thanks"

"Yes and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for Emma as well" Hank added, also joining in on the conversation. "You can never be to safe with miss Frost, and I'm sure Xavier wouldn't like any mishaps this weekend like Ororo mentioned."

The professor sighed. "I sure wouldn't." he said. "Well at least not anymore than what has already occurred."

"I'm sorry" Rogue apologized; instantly remembering her little mishap that brought her into the med lab in the first place. She was pretty sure mentally breaking the windows in one of the classrooms wasn't on the to do list.

"No apologies necessary Rogue; I don't blame you for what happened. But as Scott said, Miss Frost shall be nothing to worry about. I will be keeping the utmost watch on her not only for the benefit of this weekend, but for your benefit as well, we already discussed your stress factor and I'm sure you don't need any more of it."

Rogue smiled. "Thanks professor."

"Your very welcome dear."

"You know I really want to know what happened earlier" Scott interrupted and Rogue giggled, playfully slapping him on the chest.

"I told you not to worry about it dork, I'll explain later."

"Oh so it's ok for you to worry but not me."

Rogue thought about this for a moment. It was a bit hypocritical. "Ummmmmm…….yeah"

Scott laughed, pulling her in his arms again and tickling her senseless. She laughed and laughed and laughed until she couldn't laugh anymore and that's when he stopped, before holding her lovingly.

"Fine then, but just so we're even let's make a promise. For the rest of this weekend……..or hell, for the rest of eternity, you and I will keep the worrying down to a minimal ok?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. I could use a waver of stress of my shoulders."

"Great so it's a deal." He confirmed. "Now we need documentation to seal the deal."

"Documentation?" she asked. "You're such a nerd. How about a kiss?"

Scott grinned. She fell right into his little trap; he knew she'd veto for the kiss. "A kiss will do just fine my love."

And so they sealed the deal.

…………………………………

Review!!!!!!


	23. The bathroom encounter

Of Jealousy and Love ch 23

So I guess the last chapter was a bomb. Not to many reviews. But it was a transition chapter again, and I needed a bit more time to gather some thoughts together. So I hope you like this one better.

………………………………….

"Ha! So little miss, break the windows in my competition?" Emma asked with a laugh, sitting a top of Jean's bed and using her telekinesis to unpack a few of her things.

Jean sighed as she averted the direction of Emma's toothbrush to the right side of the bathroom, using her own telekinesis. "Don't underestimate her Emma, she's more powerful than you think. I mean _I _didn't even know she had the capability to do such a thing."

Emma snorted. "Please. Power or no power that girl is more unstable than a schizophrenic patient in a funny farm; she's harmless."

Jean rolled her eyes.

"Not to mention, she's eighteen years old and she's dating a guy 11 years older than her. Can we say, _insecurities_?"

"Like I said, don't underestimate her. For an eighteen year old, she seems to have it all together upstairs." Jean argued.

Emma snorted again. "Feh. You must have forgotten what it was like to be a teenager Jean. Not to mention a teenager who's got mommy and daddy around to follow her and be disapproving of her _gifts_. This is gonna' be a synch; I can't believe you couldn't take care of it yourself."

Jean glared. "Unlike you Emma I actually like my job around here and I plan to keep it."

Now it was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. "Uh-huh, because if Xavier finds out about this whole ordeal, he's certainly going to think that this whole enchilada was all my brilliant idea."

"That's why there's a few rules we have to follow"

Emma groaned, flopping herself on the bed. "Ugh, rules? How did I know that little miss goodie too-shoes, was going to come up with rules. Jeez, you're like the protégé of Mr. Rogers."

"Just shut-up and listen."

"Whatever"

"Rule number one, obviously, no one can find out about what we're doing. It's parents weekend and Xavier will have my head on a platter if something went wrong and it was ruined."

"Well duh Jean. I may be blonde but I'm not stupid. Xavier would never trust me again"

Jean scoffed. "_As if he does now"_ she thought to herself and Emma glared, hearing it load and clear. "Anyway, rule number two, if you're going to brainwash someone, be subtle about it. Last time you nearly had half the guys in the mansion willing to sleep with you instead of just Scott."

"Oh believe me dear, that wasn't brainwashing" she said with a flip of her hair. Jean rolled her eyes again. "Besides, back then I was seventeen, you think I was actually a pro at this brainwashing business? I was still learning."

"Well we can't take the risk of learning anything right now, so either you do it the right way or don't do it at all."

"Sure thing sergeant paranoid."

"And the last and final rule" Jean began, taking a dramatic pause. The lights suddenly began to flicker and the blinds were opening and shutting, Jean's eyes briefly shifting into Phoenix mode. "Stay away from Logan" she warned harshly; just powerful enough to let Emma know she meant business yet not powerful enough to alert the professor with such an aggressive use.

Emma was shocked that Jean had used such a method to keep her away from her new boy toy and she didn't think that the red head had it in her. She wasn't afraid of her power, for she new she could match if not over power it, but she was just shocked she took such a method to warn her.

The maliciousness made her smirk.

"Deal."

…………………………………

Rogue sighed as she trudged down the hallways back to the room she was sharing with Jubilee and Kitty, slouching over as she heard the announcement for dinner being made over the intercom.

She sighed again. "Great, just great" she grumbled to herself. "More time with the parents"

As she opened the door and walked inside the room, Rogue flopped on the bed and took in a deep breath, exhaling hard and looking up at the ceiling. As soon as she stepped out of the infirmary and separated from her precious Scott, she felt the pressures of the weekend suddenly return on her and it did not make for an optimistic Rogue.

Word about what she did that day during open house spread quickly and students were beginning to whisper about her (which she grew accustomed to after the many incidents she had with deadly skin and dating her former teacher) and parents were staring at her with fear and curiosity, clutching their purses and children closer to them as they walked by.

Rogue only rolled her eyes each time it happened. They acted as if their own children didn't have the capability to break a few windows and possibly more with their own powers but she kept silent about it and just made her way back to her room.

She didn't know what she was going to do. Dinner was in the next hour and all the parents and students were to meet in the dining hall for a catered diner (which was going to be ten times better than what the cafeteria ladies served) but with the invitation being sent out to everyone she knew three people in particular were going to be there that she didn't want to show up; her mother, her father and Emma Frost.

Not to mention the whole student body who would do nothing but spread rumors and gossips about her the whole time so she felt the need to really just sit it out.

Suddenly the room door opened and in walked Jubilee rushing toward her dresser, but stopping short when she saw Rogue lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Rogue?" she asked with caution, pausing in the middle of digging through her drawers and checking to make sure her friend was still alive.

"Yeah, I'm breathing" Rogue replied, reading her friend like a book and continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"Oh you scared me" Jubilee said holding a hand to her heart. "I thought you like, passed out or something."

"Nope; still conscious" she replied nonchalantly, blinking hard.

"You alright?" Jubilation asked, joining her on the bed and putting her face in Rogue's line of vision.

"Just fine"

She seemed as though she was staring right through the yellow-clad girl, as if she were some sort of transparent piece of plastic, and the strange habit was worrying poor Jubilee.

She laid down next to her and stared at the ceiling as well to see if she could see what Rogue was seeing but she didn't really seem to get much of anything. Just a sponge textured ceiling and a poster of ACDC over the bed.

"Whatcha' lookin' at?" she asked once she sat up on the bed, still pondering the mental health of her friend.

Rogue sighed sitting up as well. "I'm not lookin', I'm thinking."

"Oh." Jubilee replied. "About this afternoon?" she asked with caution, feeling sympathetic for her friend.

Rogue sighed again. "Yeah." She confessed. "About this afternoon."

"How did it happen?"

"I don't know. I got angry about my parents arguing and it sort of I guess into telekinetic anger and broke all the windows." She tried to explain while twiddling her thumbs. It was hard to try and explain such an unusual behavior.

"You have telekinesis?" Jubilee asked, her eyes going wide. She never knew Rogue had two powers. That was kind of cool.

"It's a long story; I'll tell you later."

"Oh"

"But long story or not; I'm _not_ looking forward to going to dinner right now"

"Oh well you don't have to if you don't want to. I can steal you a plate."

Rogue smiled at her friend. "No thanks Jubes, that unfortunately would just give my parents one more thing to bitch about."

"Ah"

She sighed one final time. "I guess I just have to face the music"

…………………………………..

Pacing down the hallway like a madman, Scott Summers kept a straight face and a mean attitude on as he made his way down, only breaking character when a parent passed by and he greeted them with a warm, hello.

He was on a mission; a mission for revenge and he was sure as hell gonna' get it.

Finally reaching his destination—which happened to be his own room— Scott swung open the door and whisked in, slamming it behind him and pointing to the culprit sitting Indian style on the floor.

"_You_" he growled, his voice filled with evil and maliciousness and his victim cringed on the floor.

"_Me?"_ Alex squeaked out, quickly standing up and backing into a corner from the fury of his older brother.

Adam, who was lying on his stomach on the bed, hit the pause on the movie he and Alex were watching before Scott arrived and sat up on the bed, smirking as he watched Scott and Alex's altercation. This was gonna' be good.

"You, you, you, little………………GRrrRr I'm gonna' murder you!" Scott said, making a leap for Alex but he dived out of the way. "ERRR! Come here you little worm!"

"Now Scott, Scott please, let's be reasonable" Alex pleaded as he averted another attack from the angry Cyclops.

"Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable? You nearly got me in deep shit Alex, why should I be reasonable?!"

"I thought she knew! I said I was sorry! Jesus Christ how many times do I have to apologize?"

"I don't want your apology Alex, I want revenge!"

Finally managing to get his younger brother in his hold, Scott grabbed him in a chokehold, (making sure he was careful not to real hurt him) and ruffled up his hair in the worst noogie possible, getting in a few light jabs as he did so.

"You are the most clueless little brother on the face of the planet you know that?" Scott said, throwing in another jab.

"Yes, yes I know" Alex responded hoarsely. It was fun to play little games like this with his brother as he knew the two of them hadn't hung around in a long time but, part of him feared Scott was actually pissed at him for mentioning Emma's name.

"Do you really? Do you really Alex? Because you talk very big for someone so brainless." He threw in another jab.

"Yes!" Alex horsed out again. "Yes I know! Now stop! Mercy! Mercy!" As fun as kidding around with his brother was, he figured now would be best to use the truce calling before Scott lost control and started using all his X-men strength.

Giving him a skeptical look, Scott dropped Alex to the floor and Alex coughed out dramatically, rubbing his neck and getting up off the floor.

"Jeez man" he said, giving Scott a mock annoyed look. "Could you be any stronger?"

"Yes I could, so consider yourself lucky" Scott said, straitening up his clothes and fixing his tie.

"Well" Alex said aghast. "This is the thanks I get for coming all the way out from South Carolina to see you? Well I never" he added, pointing his nose in the air.

"Well now you have" Scott fired back. "And consider yourself lucky I didn't do more."

"Aw c'mon dude, I said I was sorry. I honestly didn't know"

"Alex you don't know anything" Adam replied for Scott and Alex glared.

"Stay out of this you!" he snapped before turning back to Scott.

"He has a point you know" Cyclops pointed out, shifting toward the mirror to fix his appearance. Horsing around with Alex ruffled his clothes a bit. "When it comes to mentioning delicate subjects, you really are bad on timing."

"Eh, what can I say, everyone has a weakness. For you it's the glasses thing, for Alex, well hey, he just bet on the wrong knee and me well, I just can't pick up on when to shut-up. What can we do?"

"I think brain surgery might be an option" Adam commented and Alex glared at him again.

"Uh Adam, I don't particularly remember anyone inviting you into this conversation so uh, one favor, two words; _butt out._"

Adam rolled his eyes, turning off the tv and facing Scott. "So what did your girlfriend have to say about Miss Frost?" he asked, completely ignoring Alex.

Scott sighed while fixating his tie again. "Well, she wasn't happy I'll tell you that."

"I can imagine"

"But I explained to her it wasn't my fault and she's come to terms with it. Well at least she's trying to."

"She bought that, _it's not my fault _crap?" Alex asked, sitting on the bed next to Adam.

Scott glared. "It's not crap Alex, it's the truth. You know I don't cheat."

"Well yeah I know that but I mean c'mon. Have you seen Emma? You can't tell me you've never had any fantasies about making her squeal."

Adam shook his head in dismay. "You're sick man."

"What?" he asked, raising his hands in defense. "The girl is freakin' hot. Even I would fall victim to being _brainwashed_ by her."

"Alex you would fall victim to being brainwashed by a telepathic baby." Scott said and now it was Alex's turn to glare.

"Ok this insult thing, really needs to stop."

"Well anyway it's besides the point. Fantasies or not, I'm not a cheater and Rogue knows that. She's just having a hard time with everything else that's been going on this weekend."

"Oh yeah I heard." Alex said. "You know about the window thing." He whistled. "Man, that's some serious power she's got there."

"Yeah you better watch your back bro" Adam said. "If you piss her off you might just find yourself lying in a creator some where in Bora Bora"

Scott sighed. "Look I might not know to much about this alleged new power she's got going on, but I know Rogue's not like that. She's as humble as humble can get."

"Yeah uh-huh" Alex said. "That's what my buddy Ron said before his wife Linda chopped his fingers off for licking them clean at the dinner table. Poor Ron; he was in the military too; was never able to salute the same."

"Alex you know someone who got their fingers chopped off by their wife?" Adam asked.

"No" Alex responded. "But if I did, it would fit perfect into this situation wouldn't it?" he said with a laugh and both Scott and Adam shook their heads in dismay.

"Anyway" Scott interrupted his brother's laughter. "I've got to head down to the dining hall and help Storm with the seating arrangements for dinner. Care to come?"

Alex gasped. "Oh my God! You mean were actually aloud to leave this four wall confinement and roam about the mansion?" he asked sarcastically and Scott rolled his eyes.

"I never said you had to stay here dum-dum, I said don't mention me and Rogue's relationship to anyone"

"Yeah but with Alex's open trap I thought it would be best if we de-socialized a bit" Adam explained.

"Jerk" Alex mumbled.

"Oh well, we'll both be there to keep and eye on him now so, let's go. It's almost dinner time and I'm hungry."

……………………………..

Dinner rolled around in no time and at the peak of the hour, the dining hall was filled with tables of students and parents, teachers and staff, engrossed heavily in light, serious or moderate conversation. Parents conversed with the staff to find out more details about the school, students conversed with each other about events in the upcoming year or the latest gossip (i.e, Rogue and the windows braking), the staff conversed with each other or with parents about politics, sports, society or anything that came to mind to clear the mood. Anything was discussed to have a good time and create a light atmosphere. That is, until _she_ came through the door.

When Rogue entered the dining hall, she arrived about half an hour later than the scheduled dinner time and she thought no one would notice her tardy entry until she actually walked through the doors.

She felt all conversations draw to a close and all eyes on her and at first she thought it was just her imagination but when she blinked hard and took a second look, the dining hall was so quiet, if a pin dropped on the floor it'd be as loud as an aircraft passing overhead.

Not used to, or appreciating, all the attention, Rogue blushed furiously and rubbed her arm unsurely, walking quickly into the dining hall and taking a seat next to her parents, riding low in her chair.

The guests still stared but as soon as she sat down, slowly but surely the conversations resumed back to normal, and people were engrossed in their own normal lives.

Rogue took in a deep breath once she was sure eyes were no longer on her and she ran a hand through her hair.

"You alright Care Bear?"

She looked up to see her father looking down at her with concern even though his voice displayed a clear hint of fear in it. There was no doubt that he was frightened by her power just like everyone else who didn't know better was; but she was in no mood for his attempt at sympathy or "trying to understand".

"I'm fine dad" she retorted as if she was still a disobedient adolescence, hoping her tone was nonchalant enough to wave him off.

"Are you sure sweet pea? That nice teacher of yours took you to the infirmary. Are you feeling sick?" He tried rubbing her back in reassurance but she only swatted his hand away. She was mad right now; mad at him, mad at her mom, and mad at all the stress that accompanied her. She didn't want the "I'm here for you" talk.

"Yes I'm sure" she said just as the waiter who was serving their table approached. "Can I offer you anything to drink ma'am?" he asked as he served the other guests at their table their food and looked at Rogue patiently for an answer.

She wanted to reply vodka so badly but age restrictions limited her to do so, so she settled with a sprite and the waiter went off on his way.

"Oh honey, ah sprite?" came her mother's voice, finally having something to say since she arrived at the table.

Rogue rolled her eyes, awaiting the nit-picking criticism that she was sure she was going to receive. "Yes, a sprite mom. What's wrong with it?"

"It's too many calories, that's what's wrong with it."

"I thought I was too skinny mom. Why should calories be a problem?"

She was giving attitude and Bethany picked up on it. She knew her daughter, and she knew when she was mad and she knew this was one of those moments; but that didn't mean she appreciated it. "Ahm, lookin' out for your best interest darlin', if you don't want ta' take it, then fine"

"Ok yeah, great mom. Thanks for the advice." She snapped sarcastically and her mom glared.

"Marie Ann D'Acanto, don't you talk ta' me in that tone. Now you apologize right now!"

Again Rogue rolled her eyes. "You know what mom, surprisingly, I don't think it's me who needs to be apologizing" And with that she got up from the table and began making her way out the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Ladies room"

………

Watching the scene unfold from a few tables away, little Miss Emma Frost smirked from her seat and shot a glance at Jean who mildly nodded, confirming the two had the same thought in their head.

Emma's smirk widened as she excused herself from a conversation she was having with a staff member and subtly followed Rogue out the door.

"_Game time"_ she thought to herself.

………..

Once in the bathroom, Rogue sighed angrily to herself, frustrated by her parent's attitudes and behaviors and she fought the urge to break down and cry. She already changed, showered and did her make-up and she didn't want to ruin any of that but the tears were stinging to fall.

"_Don't do it Rogue, don't do it. Pull it together!"_ she battled mentally as she paced back and forth in the bathroom fanning her eyes. She took a few deep breaths as she paced, calming herself down and counting to ten, and then she leaned against one of the sinks and looked at her reflection in the mirror, reassuring herself that everything was ok.

"It's alright Rogue; you can do this. You can get through this weekend."

The pep talk was seemingly working, as the urge to cry faded slowly from her eyes. She took in another deep breath and was about to exit the bathroom until she heard someone else enter, striding slowly into the light and clicking her name brand high-heeled boots against the tile floors as she did so.

Looking up to see who it was that walked in, Rouge tried her best not to gasp as Emma Frost entered the bathroom, plastering on a generous smile as she did so.

She suddenly got the urge to throw up.

Butterflies raged in her stomach and she got a feeling similar to the way kids must feel right before they are confronted by a bully; right before they know their fate is concealed and their doom is near.

Her smiled looked as fake as the botox that was probably holding it together and Rogue knew that she was most likely here to torment her.

The urge to vomit returned.

"Hey there" she greeted with the same sneaky smile, walking passed Rogue with her expensive clicky boots and standing in front of the mirror next to her, digging through her purse for her lipstick.

She felt inferior standing next to the leggy blonde. Just the sight of her pulling out lipstick from her Juicy Couture purse and dabbing a bit of it on her perfect moisturized lips made Rogue feel small. She didn't even carry a purse.

"You new around here or are your parents still deciding on shipping you off or not?" Emma asked, making small talk after she smacked her lips to perfection and returned the stick into its rightful place in her purse.

Rogue snapped out of her inferior trance. "I graduated last school year; I've been here for four years now."

"Ah how nice" Emma said. "Planning to go away to college?"

"No. I'm going to be a T.A here and take college by mail and computer."

"Interesting"

Rogue hated the way she talked. She made everything that came out of her mouth sound so scripted and sarcastic. And she had no idea why she was releasing her school status information to her anyway; who knows what she'll do with it.

"So you like it here? At Xavier's I mean. Must be pretty nice if you're planning on staying and become a T.A."

"Yeah it's good." Rogue replied. "It's a home away from home."

Emma smiled. "I know what you mean. I felt the same way when I first started coming here. My life at home wasn't so great either."

"Oh. I'm sorry"

"Eh, it's alright. Life at Xavier's made me forget about it. You know, safe place for mutants, new friends, developing my powers," There was a pause between her next listing. "Cute boys." She seemed to drag out. The pause and the drag added together gave Rogue a mild hint that she knew something; something she probably shouldn't know. But maybe she was just being paranoid, maybe she was just stressing about this Emma girl and was over analyzing things. But she didn't know yet; it was too early to tell.

But whether or not it was too early or too late, Rogue could feel her chest tighten at the mention of the last one. The unsurness and awkwardness was making her shift into uncomfortable mode.

Emma caught onto this and mentally smirked. Her plan was working. "Actually there was this once guy in particular." She pressed on, keeping up with her friendly gig. "He teaches here now, I think you might know him."

Rogue dared not to ask whom but she knew diverting the subject would only raise suspicion. "Who?" she choked out, praying to God she'd mention some random kid who used to attend the institution.

"Scott Summers."

Dear God she said it!

"Such a cute little thing he was; those adorable shades and that muscular physic; he was the class hottie in my day."

Rogue gulped. "Oh Mr. Summers?" she said, trying her best to stay cool. She was failing miserably. "He was my math teacher last year."

Being far better and more experienced at this game than Rogue was, Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh was he really? Well, well, It's a small world" she said.

Rogue nodded. Her suspicion that Emma knew about her and Scott was growing with each passing moment. She didn't think that the odds of Scott's passed fling coming in her and having a conversation with his current girlfriend was too high.

"Tell me, did the girls drool all over him in class?"

Rogue gulped again. Oh yeah, she definitely knew; and she was on to her. "Yeah some what" she replied, still trying to maintain her cool.

Emma smiled. "Yep, he's still got it. Still got that Prince charming thing that's reeling the girls in like fishes."

Rogue shrugged. "I guess"

"And hey, I've been hearing around that he's on the market. Is that true?"

Oh shit, oh shit, oh double shit. Now Rogue was in deep water. If she told the truth all hope for this weekend being drama free was lost. She knew it, she just knew it. She'd say no, Emma would ask who he was dating, she'd probably find out that it was her and there goes all hard working attempts to keep the relationship a secret, right down the drain. However she also knew if she lied and said no, she could definitely count on Emma making another move and Scott being brainwashed again. Whether the professor was keeping an eye out or not, she could not take the risk of Scott potentially cheating on her. Oh holy shit this was not good.

Not being able to come up with a response quickly enough, Rogue did the only thing she felt was safe to do and shrugged again. "I really don't know."

Emma sighed. "Oh darn. Guess I'll just have to find out for myself then" she said with a smile. "Nice talking to ya kid" she added with a wink and exited the bathroom with the same stride she entered on.

After she left Rogue was forced to just stand there and absorb the extent of what just happened here, analyzing each word that was spoken and taking in account what the effects of what was said could possibly be.

"Oh shit" was all she had to say.

…………………

Review please!!!


	24. Divorces in the Rain

Of Jealousy and Love ch 24

Hey there guys. Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I feel ashamed of myself. So to make it up to you, I updated with a nice long chapter for your enjoyment. Happy Holidays!

……………………………………

Sauntering out of the bathroom, eyes still on Emma, Rouge made her way back to the table with a worried expression on her face, and hoped, no, _prayed_ to God, that Emma kept her distance from Scott.

Thankfully she sat down next to Jean and whispered something into her ear, but it was still the beginning of dinner and there was a long time to go in which she could— wait, whispered something to Jean? What was she telling her? What was so important that she needed to fill Jean in? All that had happened was her conversation in the bath— oh dear Jesus. Rogue's worriment quickly shifted into fear. Suddenly she wasn't so sure that Emma found out about Scott on her own. When she really thought about it, and analyzed the shock of Emma and Jean's friendship from the others, the information about Emma, Scott and Jean's past, and the sudden interest the two had for clinging onto each other like Siamese twins, she realized that this could be a potential set up.

Damn, she had to tell Scott.

Eyes darting back over to the two telepaths, she could have sworn that she caught the two looking over at her and giggling, but their attention was quickly diverted by Alex and Adam joining them at the table.

Dammit, this was not good.

"Marie"

She snapped out of her trance to look at the woman who called her attention.

"Marie, did ya' hear a thing Ah said?"

Whoa, when did she reach the table? And was this soup in front of her? Chicken Soup? When did she order that?

"Uh, no sorry mom, I didn't hear you" she replied, taking the utensils from her placemat and shaking out the napkin on her lap.

Her mother looked annoyed. Why did she have to have the disobedient child?

"Ah said, Ah think you have sumthin' that belongs ta me?"

Rouge's confused expression was diverted to her mother. "What's that?"

"An apology"

She rolled her eyes. Was she honestly still on this apology thing? She thought they established that it should be _her_ giving the apology.

"Care bear are you alright?"

Dear Jesus was that all her dad could say? He sounded like a robot repeating that question over and over and it was beginning to make her upset. "Yeah, I'm fine dad." She retorted, stealing a glance Jean and Emma's way.

"Don't you give ya' father that attitude." Her mother snapped.

Rogue rolled her eyes again.

"And look at meh, when Ah'm talkin' to ya'"

Turning to looking at her mother, Rogue sighed, dipping her spoon in her soup.

"Rogue I don't know what you've been up ta' at this school a' yours but lately you've been having a very nasty attitude."

"Me an attitude? Mom, do you hear yourself when you speak?"

"There it goes again. Ya' know Marie, this is an ugly side a ya'; a very ugly side. An I think ya' owe me an apology."

"Oh God, didn't we just have this conversation before I left? Why are you brining this up again?"

"Because you're doin' the same thing again."

Her worriment and befuddlement were going down the drain and anger was dawning over again. How was it possible for her parents to shift the mood so quickly?

"Mom, what is your problem? Did you honestly come here just to pick fights with me? You haven't said once nice thing to me since you and dad got here; not one."

"Ah, have"

"What?"

"Ah've given you advice, you just refuse to take it."

Rouge let go a frustrated sigh. "Ugh! There you go again; sarcastic remarks, snooty attitude, rudeness and bitchiness. What kind of mother are you dammit? I'm your daughter, not your employee."

Her mother looked at her aghast. How dare she say such things to her! "Marie Anastasia D'Acanto! You take that back right now!"

"No! I'm not taking anything back, I meant every word that I said mother, you didn't come here for me, you came here for yourself."

"Came here for ma'self? Ya' think ah _wanted_ to come here? Ya' think ah wanted to get on a plan an' leave ma home in Mississippi an' travel all the way to New York for this! Ah didn't come here for your attitude Marie. Ah came here ta' bring ya back home with me."

"You think I'm going back home with _you_? The woman who can't even give me a proper greeting after four years of my absence. _Four years_ mom! I graduated high school in that time, I was salutatorian, and you didn't even care!"

"I'll have time to care about that lata' Marie, I just need ya' ta' say you're coming home with me."

"No! I already told you I'm not leaving! Especially not with you!"

"Well ya most certainly aren't leaving with your father are ya'?"

"Mom what are you talking abo—" Pausing in her tracks, a light suddenly clicked on in her head. At that exact moment, it all suddenly made sense; the bickering, the fighting, the urge for her to move home. Her parents were divorced.

Rogue felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach drop to the floor. A big imaginary mass of God knows what, clumped in her throat, making it impossible for her to speak, and she was left to mutter out one question.

"Mom, Dad, are you divorced?"

Her tone was much calmer than it was before, her mental state being much to full of shock and surprise to display any emotions of anger.

Her dad hung his head low, looking ashamed and upset that this piece of information came out in the way it did. He didn't mean for her to find out this way, and he was going to tell her, just not here, not now and most certainly not like this.

"I'm sorry Care Bear, I was gonna' tell you earlier but I just—"

"No you just nothing! I don't believe you! Both of you! This is what you came here for! This is what you wanted to drag your asses out of Mississippi for! To tell me you were divorced! How could you! What were you thinking?"

"_He_ wasn't thinking" Bethany began. "_I_ wanted to—"

"Shut –up mom!"

Again she displayed an aghast look on her face.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me! John was right, you really don't care about me at all."

Getting up and turning on her heals to leave, Marie hadn't even noticed that the dining hall was dead silent since the beginning of their fight and frankly she didn't care as her emotions were so clouded by anger and astonishment there wasn't any room for embarrassment.

Her parents however were left to stand there probably for the third time that day with the embarrassment she left behind and by now they could probably write a book with the numerous conclusions drawn about them and their parenting abilities from the other guests.

"Care bear please" her father begged, going after her. "Wait!"

He managed to grab hold of her arm, halting her from leaving the room, and as soon as she felt his hand on her arm she whipped around to lash out.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed, the sheer power from those words causing a telekinetic shudder in the room and a few of the tables to knock over in a mini-explosion.

Richard quickly let go and stared at her with the same astonishment she had upon hearing the news of the divorce, and paused in his tracks, spluttering like a fish as he watched her go.

The whole dining hall watched her go as a matter of fact, still in silence from fear of her capabilities or reacting to anything that might off set another earthquake or explosion from her. But as the dean of the school watched her storm out, he could only hang his head low and wallow in what a disaster this weekend was turning out to be.

………………………………..

"We should go talk to her"

"Don't you think she's had enough talking for one day Jubes, I mean this is the _second_ time she's blown something up."

"She didn't _blow up_ the tables John; she just made them pop."

"Pop, blow up, you sat tomato, I say—"

"Ok, can we not make this into an argument? Someone needs to go in and talk to her."

"Let me Kitty, I think we can relate" Bobby offered.

"Bobby, you're parents adore you, how can you relate?"

"They didn't always"

"Well that's very generous of you Robert, but I think this is a task for mother nature." The professor interrupted. "Ororo, would you mind?"

She scratched her shoulder unsurely. "You know I would never mind professor, but I think John has a point for once. A lot has happened today, maybe we should just let her be for the night, you know, let her sleep it off."

"Maybe I should go talk to her, I am her father after all" Richard put in.

"Aren't you the cause of all this bub?" Logan remarked and Richard sighed, hanging his head in shame while Jean jabbed him in the ribs.

"Logan!" she scolded.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his abdomen; he hadn't expected a blow that sudden. "It's true."

"Though I'm not proud of how I've handled myself this weekend, when it comes down to it, I am her father and maybe I can help fix the mess I've created."

"Look Mr. D'Acanto—"

"Please call me Richard"

"Uh…well…. Richard…..No offense is meant of any sorts but, if I know you're daughter at all, when she's mad, the last person she wants to see is the person she's mad with."

"And just how well do ya' know my daughter? Mr. Summers is it?"

Scott gulped nervously under the sudden pressure. He was sure the question wasn't meant under the circumstances he was thinking of it but it still made him a bit tense.

Emma took note of this and watched silently.

"Well she's been mad at me plenty of times Mrs. D'Acanto, I mean I'm not an easy grader. And each time I tried to motivate her in class, she refused to speak to me."

The others in the group who knew of Scott's secret seemed to breath a sigh of relief. That was a nice save he made there.

"See, there it goes again, the attitude and the rudeness. You know ah honestly don't know where that girl gets it from." Bethany said, completely diverting from her original question upon hearing Scott's response.

"I could think of one person in particular." Logan muttered and Jean jabbed him again, smiling graciously at Bethany when she turned to glare.

"I'm sorry, I apologize on his behalf" she responded with another sincere smile and Logan glared at the back of her head.

"You know you really gotta' stop hittin' me."

"Shh!"

"Ok well look, all this yammering and chatting, still isn't solving who's gonna' go in there and talk to her." Jubilee pointed out.

"I think Storm is right, we should just leave her alone for awhile. She probably needs space to clear her mind, and get some rest. After all, it has been a long day for us all." Hank suggested.

The professor tiredly sighed. "I agree my good man" he said.

"Aw c'mon, you can hear the sobs, coming loud and clear from her room." Jubilee pointed out. "When it's cry time, it's talk time"

At the mention of this, the whole conversation drew to a pause, and everyone turned to look at the door which contained Rogue on the other side. About 15 minutes after her exit from the dining hall, one by one they began stopping at the door to check on her, only to find it locked like a prison and to hear sobs coming from inside. Pretty soon it turned into a group meeting of some sort and by now each were standing at the door volunteering themselves to go in and comfort her.

"Sounds pretty quiet to me" Kitty noted as she pressed her ear to the door. "As a matter of fact, I don't even think she's in there."

"Are you kidding?" Jubilee asked, shoving the smaller girl out the way and pressing her ear to the same spot. "It was tear city when I came by earlier."

"Well maybe she stopped" John suggested.

"Or maybe she just—"

The yellow clad girl was halted as the girl in question suddenly opened the door, wiping her red, puffy eyes with the back of her long sleeve shirt and gasping in fright when she saw Jubilee stumble in front of her and everyone else behind her.

It broke Scott's heart to see her like that, all sad, red, congested and upset, but he had to maintain composure for the sake of the relationship he was trying to hide.

Meanwhile Rogue's shock shifted quickly into anger when she caught sight of her parents standing there amongst the group, and she sent them a cold-hearted glare before walking straight passed them, (and the whole group while she was at it) acting as if she didn't even see them there and without uttering a single word.

Bethany took offense to this.

"Well?" she asked expectedly, placing her hands on her hips and staring disapprovingly at her daughter.

Rogue took a few more steps down the hallway before she whipped around to face her mother. "Well, _what_?"

Her mother challenged her glare. "Don't ya' have anything ta' say?"

She turned her nose in the air. "Nope" she snorted. "I've said all I have to say, to you two. And if there's anything more you have to bitch about, you might as well dig up Helen Keller from her grave and tell her about it because she'll certainly hear a lot more than anything you have to tell me."

Bethany fumed at this response and was just about to lash out at the eighteen year old but before she could utter a word the doors to the elevator chimed open and Rogue stepped inside, abruptly closing the door behind her without a second thought.

This made her steam even more.

"The nerve of that child!!!"

………………………..

She spent the entire early evening sitting where she was. With her knees pulled up to her chest, head resting on her chin, and wind blowing in her hair.

The roof of the mansion had always been her secret spot; her spot to sit, relax and get away from the pressures of the mansion.

This weekend brought extra pressures however, as she thought about her parents, Emma and Jean's possible set up of destruction, and her being apart from Scott.

So far things weren't turning out the way she thought they'd be; as a matter of fact, they were turning out worse—way worse— and she felt that she was powerless to stop them.

Rogue sighed, looking out over the scenery of the mansion as a tear trickled down her cheek.

She couldn't believe it; she just couldn't believe it. Her parents were divorced.

_Divorced._

As in no longer together, separated, holding a terminated marriage.

How could this happen?

When she left she thought that her parents were happily married. Aside from the problems they had with her being a mutant, they seemed to get along just fine.

Was it her that caused the divorce?

She'd been gone for an awful long time and hadn't been around to see the aftermath of their decision to kick her out. Maybe her leaving caused turmoil; maybe they blamed one another for her condition and became distant and afraid of one another; maybe they thought twice about their decision and blamed one another for the outcome; or maybe they just…..really didn't like each other.

Ah, why should she care anyway?

They didn't care about her so why should she care about them?

They came here, bickered argued and fought, badgered her to come home, made snarky remarks to her and her teachers, and didn't give a damn about any of her achievements. So why should she care if they were divorced? If they were being selfish, so could she.

She sighed again.

Oh boy this was getting to be tough; she didn't want to be bitchy but she couldn't help it. She was angry, no scratch that, she was _furious_ that her parents traveled all the way from Mississippi after four years for their own selfish reasons.

Why was it so hard for them?

Why was it so hard to just care for her like any parent would? To say, "hey kiddo' I'm proud of you" or, "Rogue I've missed you so much" or most importantly, "Darling I love you".

She didn't get it. Was there that much hatred for her mutant background? Could they honestly stop loving her just because she was different?

Before she knew it, more tears were trickling down her cheeks and with the tears came little droplets of rain.

She hadn't even noticed the rain was falling in unison with her tears until her crying intensified and precipitation did as well.

The door that led to the roof suddenly opened and being so consumed in her sobbing, Rogue didn't even notice some one was out there with her.

"Hey, don't jump kid" came a familiar husky voice.

She turned her red puffy face to address the person speaking to her, only to surprisingly find Logan standing there, shielding himself from the pouring rain with his jacket.

Her astonishment quickly morphed back into the frown that was present before and she rested her head back on her knees.

"I'm not going to jump Logan." She said, just barely audible over the rain. "So please" she sniffed. "Go away"

"Well at least come inside kid; it's pouring rain out here."

"I'll be fine"

She turned her back to him and continued to stare out into the scenery and she was sure that he left her, until she felt his strong arms grace her shoulders and gently hoist her up, standing her away from the edge of the building.

"There" he said, once he was sure she was at a safe distance. "Now I can breathe better"

Rogue smiled a bit once he breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone cared about her; even if it was the man she once loved.

"What are you doing out here kid? Everyone's looking for you and it's pouring rain."

"I just needed some time to think" she admitted, calming down her sobs and wiping her face with her soaking sleeve.

As her tear flow calmed, so did the rain and it slowly faded into a drizzle before coming to a complete stop as the last trickle slid down her cheek.

Logan took notice of this and looked toward the sky, puzzled.

"Are you……" he was almost afraid to ask. "Are you…..controlling the weather?"

Rogue looked up at the sky as well, suddenly realizing the unison of her tears and the rain.

She shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I was. It must be part of this whole new power thing I haven't quite figured out yet."

"New power? What new power?"

"Don't worry about it Logan" she said, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. "There are more important things going on."

He sighed. "Like your parents?"

She sighed as well, fighting the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes at the mention of that word. As he said this, a roll of thunder clapped through the sky and a fresh batch of rain clouds seemed to be soaring in.

Logan looked up at the sky again and took notice.

"Hey look kid, it's alright"

"No it's not"

"Yes it is, you're gonna be fine."

"No I won't"

Another tear squeezed its way out of her brown orbs and a droplet of rain splashed on Logan's nose.

"Rogue listen to me, it's all going to be ok. Don't worry yourself into a coma."

"How can I not Logan?" she snapped. "Tell me, how can I honestly not worry? My parents hate me Logan. They _hate_ me!" Another clap of thunder boomed through the sky.

"They only came here for their own stupid, selfish reasons and they didn't care about anything that's been going on in my life. All they wanted was to assure I was going home with one of them probably just to get some damn tax exemption or some other shit."

"Rogue that's not true; you're parents love you"

"Oh do they? Do they really?"

"If they didn't they wouldn't be here Rogue"

"Sure they would. After all they kicked me out of the house four years ago and I'm sure there's a census count approaching soon. Wouldn't want the government asking questions now would they."

"Rogue don't say those things"

"Why not!" she fumed. "Why shouldn't I! It's what they came here for and they have no problem doing it, so why should I have a problem admitting it!" Another wave of thunder roared on through. "Why am I the single most pathetic person on the planet who can't even have a descent visit from their parents and have them utter three simple words. Three simple words Logan! I love you! I love you is all they had to say!"

Her fury calmed down a bit and she could feel the tears reemerging again, no longer being able to be held back.

"They hate me Logan" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks again as the rain stared as well. "They hate me and I hate them"

Feeling absolute pity and sorrow for her, Logan embraced Rogue in a tight hug, holding her protectively and stroking her hair to soothe her sorrows.

The poor thing. As if trying to get by this weekend without anyone knowing of her and Scott wasn't enough, she had to deal with this too.

Logan new his relationship hadn't been the same with Rogue ever since the incident but it was moments like these that reminded him why he fought to rebuild that relationship; despite her refuting efforts.

He liked being her savoir, her soldier, her father figure. He liked being the one she'd come to when she was down or talk to when she was alone or comfort when she was sad. It gave him a feeling of love and protectiveness when he sheltered her from the dangers of the world and it gave her a feeling of warmth when she knew she had someone to turn to.

"Shh it'll be ok Rogue" he comforted, continuing to stroke her hair. "It'll all be ok."

"No it won't" she sobbed, burying her face into his chest as the rain kept pouring from the sky. "None of it is ok"

"Hey look, the weekend is almost over Rogue. You've only got one more day and then it's back to the way things were."

The way things were? She wasn't even sure if they way things were before were all that great. And she was sure the impact of this weekend would not be easily forgotten.

"No you're wrong, everything's changed Logan. Everything is gonna' change after this weekend, I can feel it."

"Kid what are you talking about? When you're parents go back home you're home free"

She sighed, her sobbing calming down once more, as did the rain.

"It's not just my parents Logan"

"Not just your parents? Then what else is it?"

"It's everything. My parents, me, Scott, my new power, Emma and Jean, everything is making my brain work into over load and I can't seem to—"

"Emma and Jean?" Logan asked, interrupting her with his peak of curiosity. "How are those two involved?" he questioned. "Are they bothering you?"

Rogue sighed, wiping her tears away once more and turning to face the opposite direction. She could predict old angry and bitter feelings of complex relationships retuning soon.

"Nothing Logan, don't worry about it; I'm sure you don't want to here it."

"No" he said, grabbing hold of her arm and turning her around. "I want to know; what's going on with you and them?"

She sighed again. "Alright, you're going to think I'm totally crazy but……….I just have this theory about the two of them"

"Theory? What theory?"

"Well I don't know I could be wrong, especially because I don't know Emma very well but their friendship just feels very awkward to me"

"Awkward?"

"Yeah, awkward; like they aren't really friends or something. I mean everyone was stunned when Emma came in and said her and Jean were best friends, and Scott even told me that they never liked each other, so why are they friends now?"

"hmm"

"And then there's the thing Emma has for staring at me."

"Staring at you? Rogue you're eighteen years old and you have a streak of white hair running through your head. If I didn't know you, I would stare at you."

"It's not that kinds of stare Logan. It's this creepy, telepathic, weird, analyzing stare like she's experimenting on me like a lab rat. I mean she's really staring"

"Maybe she's reading your thoughts"

"Yeah but why would she? Why are my thoughts so special?"

Logan sighed. Rogue did make a valid point.

"Well Jean did tell me she had a thing for Scott" he added, hoping that would ease her curiosity a bit.

"But how would she know I was dating him?"

"She—" Interrupting his own self, Logan suddenly began drawing conclusions and drawing conclusions fast. Suddenly he was getting on the same thought pattern as Rogue was and he didn't like the outcome of the theory.

If their theory was correct, then Jean would have a lot of explaining to do.

He quickly turned around to head back inside.

"Logan, where are you going?" Rogue called after him.

"I'm going to have a talk with Jean." He answered still making his way inside. "Get inside and dry yourself off before you catch a cold kid, I'll check up on you in a minute."

And with that he was gone, leaving Rogue to stand there and sigh.

She really hoped this didn't blow up in her face.

……………………………………..

"So then I told her, _guess I'll have to find out for myself then_ and I threw her one of my famous Frost winks and I swear she was stuck there like a fish out of water."

Jean laughed at the story being told by Emma for the billionth time. She swore it got funnier each time. "Oh you are just evil" she said. "I didn't say embarrass the girl Emma, I said interrogate her, make her nervous, not pounce on her like a cheetah on a rabbit."

"Hey I was having a little fun, it's not my fault she's so insecure"

"Well hey, next time just make sure you don't—"

Before Jean could finish however, the bedroom door was suddenly swung open and in stormed Logan, soaking wet and looking ready to kill, glaring daggers at the two ladies.

"Logan?" Jean asked, surprised and concerned for his sudden burst into the room. "What are you doing?"

"And why are you all wet?" Emma asked.

"You!" he boomed, pointing an angry finger at the blonde bombshell.

"Me?" she asked, pretty disturbed about his outraged nature. She was sure that he did this type of thing all the time but she was in the least bit flattered by it being directed at her.

"Yes you" he confirmed. "Get out now!"

"Out?" she asked, now placing her slender arms on her hips. "Uh, I'm in my pj's Tarzan"

"Explain to me the point where I start caring"

Emma huffed.

"Logan, what's the meaning of this?" Jean asked. "What's going on?"

"Get out Emma, I need to talk to Jean" he ordered again and Emma scoffed, reaching for her robe on the far corner of the bed.

"Fine I get it. Talk must be crazy Tarzan lingo for wild and rough animal sex. I can take a hint jungle boy there's no need to go beast on me."

Logan snorted as he watched her put on her robe and begin to exit the room.

"Just try not to manhandle her ok?"

And with that she was gone and Logan slammed the door behind her.

"Logan what's going on?" Jean asked. "Why'd you kick her out?"

"Don't you _what's going on _with me Jean, what the hell is going on here?"

"What do you mean what's going on here? Nothing's going on Logan, Emma and I were talking"

"Don't get foolish with me Jean, what are you and that whore up to, I'm not an idiot."

"Logan you're angry for God knows what reason and you're being rash, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Why is she here!" he yelled. "You too hate each other, why is she here with you?"

"Stop yelling at me!" she screamed back. "We don't hate each other, we worked out our differences!"

"Oh bullshit; don't feed me that crap. If there's one thing I know about you Jean when you hate someone you _hate_ someone, there's no bending the rules."

"I bent them for you."

He scoffed again. "I'm being serious Jean, I want to know what's going on and I want to know now!"

"Uh! M.Y.O.B" she snorted, getting up off the bed and heading toward the bathroom.

Logan stopped her in the middle of her journey and grabbed her by the arm, whirling her around to face him.

"No, what's your business is my business and I want to know why she's here."

"Because I invited her Logan! It's not illegal for me to invite my friends."

"It is when one of them is obsessed with your ex-fiancé!"

Jean paused in her tracks. Uh-oh, busted and disgusted. How'd he know that? "Who'd you hear that from?"

Nodding his head in affirmation, Logan sighed getting all the proof her needed. "So it's true then."

"Logan what's true?"

"Did you honestly think you could hide this from me? You know I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"I never accused you of being dumb Logan."

"So what the hell is this! You didn't think I'd see the connection between you, Emma and Scott. I'm not a fool Jean"

"I'm not saying you are!"

"So why the hell are you doing this!"

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Then why is she here Jean! And why is she harassing Rogue? Conveniently she just showed up right? Conveniently she just came right at a time when Scott and Rogue were hiding their relationship and conveniently she just badgers Rogue all the time."

"Logan I know it looks intentional but I swear, it's not what it looks like. Emma and I are friends, and she's here because I asked her to be here."

"Why? To ruin a relationship?"

"What? No! I would never—"

"There you go making a fool out of me again Jean"

"Logan I'm not—"

"Look do you want to be with me or do you want to be with Scott?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you wan to be with me or do you want to be with Scott?"

"Logan, how could you ask such a thing? You know I want to be with you"

"Your words say you do but your actions read louder. Ever since Scott and Rogue have been together, you've had a hard time grasping it."

"So"

"So you've tried convincing them they were "wrong" in the beginning and now this? You bring his passed love whore here to stay with us?"

"That has nothing to do with anything Logan"

"It has everything to do with it Jean. You're jealous. You're jealous of Rogue and Scott's relationship and you're jealous you're not with him anymore."

"Uh! Logan how dare you—"

"Don't you flip this around Jean, I'm serious. Do you want to be with me, or do you want to be with Scott. Because if you want to be with him, I'll walk out this door right now and I won't interfere."

"Logan" Jean said, wrapping her arms around his soaking frame and planting a sad kiss on his lips. "I'm upset you would think anything other wise; of course I want to be with you."

"Don't play your mind games Jeannie"

"I'm not playing any mind games Logan I'm serious. I care about you, and I always have. If I wanted to be with Scott I'd be with Scott and I wouldn't have fought for you. I'm not about to through all that away."

Logan sighed.

"I love you honey" she said, planting another sweet loving kiss on his lips.

At the soft feel of her lips on his, Logan began to calm down and his insecurities were washing away.

Maybe he was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Maybe he made one to many judgment calls. Rogue was upset when she explained all this to him, maybe she was just mouthing off crap to relieve her own stress.

And Jean did have a point, she did have an opportunity to be with Scott but she chose to be with him. He was sure his Jean would have nothing to do with whatever it was Emma was up to. Maybe miss Frost was just a bitch.

Logan sighed again, breaking the kiss.

"Look, Jeannie………….I'm well………..I'm sorry for blaming you for this thing. Whatever's going on, I'm sure you have nothing to do with it."

"There's nothing going on Logan" the red head assured. "I'm sure of it and I'll even have a talk with Emma when she comes back."

"Could you please?"

"Of course" she said. "You know I love you, right babe?"

"Of course" he replied. "And I love you too."

Another kiss was shared, Jean mentally sighing in relief at the major bullet she just dodged.

"Now why don't we get you out of these……wet clothes" Jean said with a giggle, pulling on his soaking attire.

Logan grunted.

"What were you doing, dancing in the rain?"

"No, I was talking to Rogue, she was sitting out there crying because of well……you know who."

"Ah" More information to take into account. "In the rain?"

"Well I don't know, it was the weirdest thing; when she cried, it rained. I think she might have control over the weather or something."

"Like Storm?"

"I don't know, I guess. It wasn't intentional though, she didn't even know she was doing it."

"Maybe its just her emotions." Jean noted aloud. "She has been awful sad today."

"Know of anything that could cheer her up?"

"I could think of a few" she replied. "But right now I think you need a shower buster, the sweet smell of your cologne and fresh rain do not mesh well together my friend."

Logan smirked. "A shower huh? Care to join me?"

"Always" she smirked back. "Just let me warn Emma we'll be busy for awhile ok?"

"I'll be waiting in the shower."

Winking as he disappeared into the bathroom, Jean made sure the coast was clear before mentally contacting her partner in crime.

"_Emma, it's me Jean"_

_"Wow done already? He's one of those one-minute-men isn't he?" _

_"Shut-up and listen Frost. Logan is on to us so we need to lay low for awhile" _

_"Uh! Lay low? Hello, earth to moron, the parents leave tomorrow night, we don't have enough time to lay low." _

_"Well we're going to have to because I am __**not**__ jeopardizing my relationship with Logan._ "

"_Oh please, that ship has sailed sweetheart." _

_"Emma!" _

_"Look, you can do what you want but you promised me Scott, and I intend to get what I came here for. So enjoy your relationship with monkey man, I'll handle this on my own."_

_"No! Emma! Emma wait!_"

But it was too late for Jean to even try to persuade her as the blond bombshell just went about ignoring her. She was creating her own plan now.

…………………………………………..


	25. And so I guess this is war

Of Jealousy and Love ch 25

…………………………………

She walked the halls like a zombie, sadly maneuvering her way to her old suite. Though others seemed to stare at her because of her soaking wet attire, she paid no mind to them as she focused on reaching her destination.

As she rounded the corner and entered another hallway, she was happy to find that no one was present and it was as empty as sweater shop in the middle of July. Making her way to her room, Rogue sighed as she looked left and right, double-checking to make sure no one was around before opening the door.

She found Scott, Alex and Adam in the room, casually sitting on the bed and mindlessly watching TV, more focused on their conversation than anything the newscaster had to say.

They paused however when Rogue entered the room, Scott being the first one to acknowledge her.

"Rogue?" he asked, getting up off the bed and ushering her inside, closing the door behind them. He was worried to see her like this but that last thing they needed right now were onlookers.

"Rogue what's wrong, what are you doing here? And why are you all wet?"

She didn't know where the feeling came from or why she reacted this way, but as soon as she saw Scott's concern for her and heard his barrage of questions she broke down into tears again.

Feeling absolute pity for his girlfriend, Scott embraced her in a hug and let her cry into his chest, without a care in the world that he was getting wet himself from her soaking attire.

"Rogue?" he asked concerned. "What happened? What's the matter?"

She continued to cry, not feeling up for an explanation but more rather in the mood to just be held by the one she loved and comforted as she cried.

Worriedly Scott turned to his two brothers who might have any possibly explanation for his girlfriend's behavior but they shrugged as a response, just as flabbergasted as he was and watching the displays of affection like a soap opera.

"Rogue, c'mon tell me" Scott urged, gently tilting her chin up to face him and wiping away one of her tears with his thumb. "You're worrying me, what's going on?"

"Everything's going on Scott, everything" she replied, crying in his chest once more.

Scott held onto her tighter.

"I don't care anymore, I really don't care. I just want to be with you Scott. I just want you to hold me."

Sighing a hard sigh, Scott embraced her again, concluded all of this could only come from the one and only mommy and daddy dearest and he couldn't imagine the amount of pain she was going through right now.

To say the least, today had not been such a very good day for Rogue and he wasn't surprised that all she wanted to do was cuddle with him for comfort.

Even though they were still hiding their relationship from the others, Scott assumed that behind closed doors, they would be safe from any onlookers and he wasn't about to leave his girlfriend alone in a state like this so he let her stay.

"It's going to be alright Rogue." He comforted as she continued to cry. Glancing out the window, he noticed a constant steady of rain was beginning to tap against the mansion. "Everything is going to be just fine, I promise."

………………………………

"Is she asleep yet?" Alex asked, re-entering the room with a sandwich in his hand. It had been about three hours since Rogue came in crying, and since then she had showered, changed and headed for bed, Scott comforting her until she fell asleep.

"Fast asleep" Scott confirmed, stroking her hair once more and turning out the light on the nightstand by her bed. "So don't you even think about making a sound."

"C'mon Scott, I'm as quiet as a mouse"

Just as those words left his mouth, Alex tripped over Rogue's wet shoes that were lying in the middle of the floor and let out an abrupt "Whoa!" before tumbling to the floor, dropping his sandwich, which was caught mid-air by Adam.

Rogue stirred in her sleep before rolling over and resting peacefully again and Scott glared at his baby-brother.

Looking up at Adam who had his sandwich in his hand (which was missing a bite), Alex grinned as his eldest brother shook his head in dismay before turning to Scott who was looking at him disapprovingly.

"Quiet as a mouse ey?" Cyclops asked and Alex grinned sheepishly, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Eh, sorry about that, I didn't see the shoes."

Again Adam shook his head in dismay before taking another bite of Alex's sandwich. "So Scott, you think she's going to be ok?" he asked. Meanwhile Alex glared at him, snatching back his food.

Scott turned to Rogue who was bundled up in the sheets, sleeping with a disturbed look on her face, before turning back to Adam and sighing.

"I hope so, I guess today was a rough day for her."

"I'll say" Alex pitched in, taking a bite of the sandwich he brought before it was snatched away again by Adam. The eldest brother took another bite, and held it away from Alex's grasp. "I mean look at her parents man. Can we say……….bitches." the last words came out huffed as he dove after his brother for his food back and he stuffed the rest of it in his mouth.

Adam glared and Alex stuck his tongue out at him, careful not to drop any crumbs. "Pig" Adam retorted.

"Well I don't know" Scott continued, choosing to ignore his brother's antics. "I mean her dad seems reasonable. He just seems to be stuck in the middle of her mom's wrath."

"I repeat, bitch" Alex said, once he swallowed the bread and ham combo. He really wished he brought some milk to wash it down. "A real man wouldn't allow his woman to keep him on a leash like a dog; especially a woman he's divorced from."

Scott shook his head at Alex's logic.

"Well that's not the point Alex, the point is how Rogue is coping with all of this."

"I'm sure she'll be fine Scott, if she's the woman you describe her as, than I'm sure this will be no hard thing for her to pass." Adam reassured.

"I don't know Adam, I mean this is her parents were talking about. They've practically disowned her the moment they found out she was a mutant."

"So why should she care now?" Alex asked.

"Because they're her parents"

"So"

"So, wouldn't you care if mom and dad were still alive?"

Alex frowned. He hated being reminded of their parents, even if it was for the basis of comparison. He supposed Scott had a point. If their parents were still alive, he would have cared about their marital status even if they disowned him for being what he was. They were his parents after all; he loved them; even more so now that they passed away. Of course he didn't know what their reaction would be to their three sons being mutants, as they had died before they could find out, he guessed whether they rejected him or embraced him, his opinion would be the same; he would still care.

Alex sighed a hardy sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right Scott; I would care."

Scott sighed as well. "Look Alex, I don't mean to get you all upset with the mention of mom and dad but just please try and understand, Rogue is going through a lot now and well I don't know, I guess I just feel it's my job to defend her."

"Yeah it's alright bro, I understand. And I know how you get when it comes to your women"

"Don't we all know" Adam chimed in.

Scott chuckled.

"I really didn't mean anything by what I said."

"It's ok. Didn't mean to get all offensive on you either, it's just—"

A knock at the door, interrupted Scott mid sentence and he whirled around to face the wooden frame.

"Who could it be now?" Alex asked, completely forgetting that his brother was just talking to him.

"Who is it?" Scott called to the door, mildly panicking about Rogue being in the room. He hoped it wasn't her parents looking for her.

"It's Santa Clause, coming with a bag of goodies, who the hell to you think it is twinkle toes?"

Scott sighed again, rolling his eyes. Of course, naturally it had to be Logan.

"Is there anyone with you Logan?"

"Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, what the hell do you think Scooter, now open up the damn door"

Sighing and rolling his eyes again, Scott made his way to the door and opened it up, coming face to face with a grumpy Wolverine.

He smiled sarcastically. "Gee Logan, it's so nice of you to drop by. Anything I can help you with?"

Logan rolled his eyes, entering the room as Scott shut the door behind him.

"Don't flatter yourself cream puff I only dropped by to check on the kid."

"And you came here first?"

"No" Logan retorted. "I stopped by yellow's room earlier and she said the kid never showed so I suspected there was only one other place she could be."

"Oh well that's very clever of you Sherlock Homes."

Logan glared again. "Zip it Boy Scout."

"Well as you can see she's fast asleep Fabio so you're job here is done. You can go now."

Logan gruffed staring at Rogue for a few moments, before pulling a cigar out his jacket and searching for his lighter. He looked at Alex and Adam.

"Who are these two, you're Siamese twins?"

"A, they're Adam and Alex and their my brothers, B, it takes two to be Siamese twins and they have to be conjoined by a limb, and C, if you light that cigar in here I'll tell Pyro where you keep your stash of cigars." Scott defended.

Logan grunted again, removing the cigar from his mouth. "Whatever"

"Jeez, you know if you don't mind me asking, what's gotten you in such a chipper mood? And in my room no less; you really do take it to a whole knew level of rudeness when you insult me in my territory."

"Eh whatever, cream puff. Jean and I are in a fight so naturally I'm not going to walk around the mansion all sunshine and rainbows."

"So you come to my room to bother me?"

"It passes the time."

Scott rolled his eyes. "So what'd you two fight about huh? She finally couldn't stand that biker aroma you carry around?"

Logan glared. "No" he retorted again. "We were actually fighting about you"

"Me?"

"Don't get your panties in a twist, it wasn't all about you. But you did have some part in it."

"What did I do now?"

"It's not what you did Scooter, it's the Emma Frost girl"

"Emma?"

"Yeah, I don't like her; she's a bitch and I think she's up to something."

At the mention of Emma, Adam and Alex were beginning to loose all their judgmental opinions of Logan's attitude and they peeked an ear in to listen. Whatever Logan had to say about her could not be good.

"So you and Jean fought about that?"

"No. I had a chat with the kid earlier, and she told me that she thought something was fishy between Jean and Emma. She said Emma kept staring her down and she found it weird the two of them were friends."

"Yeah I know that. But what does that have to do with you and Jean fighting?"

"Well the kid said that Emma knew you two had a thing going on so naturally I put two and two together and figured Jean must have had something to do with it so I—"

"Wait a second, Emma knows Rogue and I are dating?" Scott exclaimed frantically. He glanced out the corner of his eyes and saw Rogue stir in her sleep again and he immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

Logan noticed this as well. "Shh, not so loud Scooter, you'll wake the kid."

"How the hell does she know that?" he whispered this time.

"She's a telepath. There aren't many things you can keep from her."

"But the professor promised me—"

"The professor doesn't know about the possible allegiance miss Frost and Jeannie could have going on"

"Allegiance?"

"Think about it Scooter. The two of them hated each other but now all of a sudden their best friends. Jean has _never_ mentioned Emma's name before this weekend, Emma decides to drop by conveniently when you two are hiding your relationship and somehow she magically knows about your relationship."

Thinking about what Logan just told him, a light bulb suddenly dinged in Scott's head and he was beginning to draw the same conclusions. Feeling himself beginning to panic, he could only imagine how the end results of the situation could not turn out good.

"Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick"

"You think you're going to be sick now, just wait till' all this gets out in the open. You'll be on the floor in a stroke."

"Don't say that Logan; there's still hope that this is all a big misunderstanding."

"Feh. You haven't even let me reach the good part yet."

Scott's heart skipped a beat. "Oh God, what now?"

"When I went to confront Jean about it, she played dumb with me and pretended like she didn't know what was going on, then she turned the tables on me and made it seem as though I was just jealous and rash of God knows what and God knows who."

"So she talked you out of it."

"She tried. I could tells he was playing mind games cause' I got a killer headache afterward and that only happens when she probes into my mind."

"So what'd you do?"

"There was nothing I could do, I was like a walking, talking adamantium dummy."

"Logan, you're always like a walking talking adamantium dummy"

Logan glared. "Shut-it Scooter I'm trying to tell you a story."

"Whatever, so what happened after that?"

"After that she promises me some alone time and I head for the shower while she tells Emma something or the other, then the next thing I know she's chewing me out for accusing her of being jealous and wanting you back. And well, now, here I am, ranting about this shit to you and your flesh and blood."

"Oh Goodness, I think we need to warn the professor about this" Scott fretted. "If what you're saying is true than I think tomorrow is going to be hell on all of us."

"No, are you kidding me? Leave the professor alone; he's got enough damage control to fix with this one's parents." He said, nudging in Rogue's direction. "If we're going to fix this thing, we've got to do it on our own."

"How?" Scott asked. "I mean how do we even know we're right about this whole thing."

"Simple" Logan said, staring at Scott mischievously, then staring at the door. "We run a test drive."

……………………….

Walking down the halls of the mansion, the four men made their way down to the kitchen where they new Emma was located, going over the plan they had concocted in their minds.

"Ok so remember Scooter, get as much information as you can and if she makes a move, then split ok?"

"Ok" Scott said nervously.

"Yeah and whatever you do, _do not _think about anything we just told you" Adam reminded. "Telepaths can smell sneakiness from a mile away."

"Yeah sure"

"And don't be so nervous man" Alex chipped in. "We're all right here behind you, you'll do just fine."

Scott suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Oh man I don't know if I can do this you guys, this has backfire written all over it."

"Oh c'mon Scott, you have to do it; don't you want to know what's going on?" Adam asked.

"Yes I want to know but there are other ways of approaching this. I don't think you understand, Emma Frost is a very, sneaky, sly and conniving woman, she can convince anyone to—"

"C'mon Scooter stop being such a pansy." Logan interrupted. "Where'd all your big X-men leader traits go?"

"They're still here" Scott defended. "They're just being smart. I don't want this to backfire in my face; it's already happened once before."

"It won't happen again cream puff. It's not like you're going in there begging for sex, you're asking her about herself, finding out as much as you can. We need to catch her in the act before we make a scene of this."

"Can't we just tell the professor?"

"No!" all three men said in unison.

"We can't kill chuck of a heart attack you monster so just gear up and take this like a man." Logan said right as they reached the kitchen entrance way.

Scott sighed as he stood at the entrance to the kitchen, taking in a deep breath and thinking once more about what he was doing. This had bad idea written all over it but his brothers and Logan did have a point when they said it was most likely the only way they could get to the root of this. They really needed to know what the problem was with Emma and Jean _now_ before things escalated and got worse.

Taking in another deep breath Scott walked into the kitchen confidently, glancing over at Emma who was mindlessly reading a book, and watching as she looked over and smiled at him when she saw him enter, setting her book on the counter and swiveling around to face him.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." She said with a smile, crossing her legs over one another sexily.

He hated when she stared at him in the way that she did; she looked as though she was on to him already. Scott could feel himself loosing his confidence quickly.

"My old buddy Scott" she said smiling at him just as seductively as she crossed her legs. "I haven't seen you since this morning when I arrived."

Scott sheepishly smiled.

"How are you?"

"Uh…..I'm doing fine, and yourself?"

"Never better" she said, getting up from her seat at the counter and wondering over to the fridge.

Scott watched her, as she swayed when she walked and she gently scratched an unusually convenient scratch on her upper thigh, which was exposed by her low cut robe.

He gulped again.

"So, who are your cute little friends?" she asked motioning toward Logan, Adam and Alex. "I remember Tarzan from earlier this evening but I don't think I've ever met the other two. They're kinda' cute" she said.

Adam and Alex blushed from the compliment.

"Uh these are my brothers, Alex and Adam." Scott replied, trying to keep his focus on the marble counters and away from her legs.

"Brother's huh?" she asked, inspecting them for a brief moment before turning back to Scott. "That would explain a lot; they look sort of like you."

"Yeah we get that a lot" Scott mumbled.

"Ah, so why don't we make small chat Scott, it's been _Soooooo_, long since we've lasted talked to one another. What's been going on in your life?"

"Um, nothing much you know; just another year at Xavier's."

"Just another year at Xavier's?" she asked and Scott nodded.

"So there's absolutely nothing new going on with you?"

He shook his head.

"No new pet, no interesting students, no anything?"

"Nope."

"Hmm, that's strange" Emma said thoughtfully, sitting back on a stool at the counter and crossing her legs to give him a good look at her thighs.

"What is? That nothing new is going on in my life?"

"Yeah." She answered. "Word is around the street that you and Jean are over."

"_CAUTION! CAUTION! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! WARNING TO SCOTT! WARNING TO SCOTT! APPROACH WITH CAUTION, REPEAT, APPROACH WITH CAUTION!" _Scott thought frantically to himself. He knew this sort of thing would come up eventually, he was just wishing for later rather than sooner. Now he knew he'd definitely have a hard time fumbling for a good answer.

"Yeah….I guess we are" he admitted weakly, still staring at the marble top counters. "Just sort of slipped my mind I guess."

"Slipped your mind?" Emma asked questioningly. "The love of your life is no longer your fiancé and it just slipped your mind?" she asked.

"Yeah"

Emma shook her head. "You're a weird one Scott, but that's why I like you" she said with a smile.

Scott pretended to chuckle. "So uh, Emma" he cleared his throat. "Speaking of Jean uh…….when did the two of you become such good friends?" he asked.

"_Good job Scott, turn the tables; ask her the questions now."_ He thought to himself proudly.

"Jean and I friends?" Emma asked pathetically, snorting with a laugh to herself. "Oh please don't humor me" she said.

Scott threw her a befuddled look, turning to the others who looked just as confused before turning back to Emma.

"But I thought you and her told the professor that—"

"Jean and I tell the professor a lot of things Scott" Emma said, examining her nails. "Doesn't mean they're always true"

"So why would you lie about being friends?"

"Why else dummy, so I could talk to you" she said, getting up off the chair and putting herself dangerously close to Scott.

Scott gulped again. This was one of the warning signs Logan told him about. If she made a move it was time to get the hell out of there.

The only problem was if he left now it would be awkward and weird and she'd probably just follow him out and he wasn't done getting information out of her. They just received new and pressing information about her and Jean's friendship; they weren't really friends and they lied to the professor. That brought even more affirmations to their suspicions.

Meanwhile as Scott was walking on pins and needles with Emma, the others behind him were holding their breaths, waiting to see what happened and praying for the best. It seemed like a victory on their part, with Emma admitting she lied to the professor, but when it came to the vindictive telepath, who could really know? She was a very sneaky woman.

"A Emma I don't think that's very—"

"What? Appropriate?" she asked, squeezing herself closer to him, just about to place herself in his lap. "You are single aren't you?" she asked, placing her arms on the side of his neck.

All right that was enough, sneaky little mind games or not he wasn't standing for this any longer.

"Actually Emma, I'm not single." Scott corrected, all his boldness returning as his took Emma's arms from off of his neck and placed them at her sides. "I'm seeing someone"

Now it was Emma's turn to give him the befuddled look but it quickly faded into a sly smile. "Oh are you now? She must be one lucky lady."

"She is"

"Who is she?" she asked devishly, smirking as she began backing Scott into a corner.

Scott however, refused to let her do so. "She's not from around here, you wouldn't know her." he said, diverting all of Emma's pointed questions.

"Are you sure? I'm pretty popular around here Scott. I'm sure I must have run into her one time or another."

"Believe me, you haven't"

"She's here at the mansion?"

"No, she's not"

"So then how are you seeing her?"

"People do have long distance relationships Emma. Oddly enough, they do exist in the world"

"Scott pulling long distance?" she asked. "Ha! Maybe when the world turns a faint shade of purple."

"Can we refrain from talking about me and my relationship please? Let's get back to why you and Jean lied to the professor. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate something like that."

"The professor doesn't appreciate the whole mansion tying bows to his wheelchair on his birthday and on Christmas but he still tolerates it; I'm sure a little white lie won't send him to his grave."

"Well than why'd you do it?"

"I told you, too see you silly. If I have to pretend to be friends with that redhead just to see your darling face than I can and I am."

"Well it's sort of a lost cause' don't you think? I just told you I'm seeing someone else?"

"Nothing is a lost cause Scott. It's only lost for those who don't try hard enough and as you know, I'm as relentless as they come."

"Whether you're relentless or a quitter, I don't care; you're not going to make me cave like you did the last time."

"You sure about that?"

Red bells and sirens began to ding in Scott's head once more as she gave him that I-have-the-upper-hand look once more and spoke with that same conniving little tone; he was beginning to worry again.

"Yes I'm positive. I'm not so easily brainwashed these days"

"Brainwashing is for ammeters" Emma said, moving back toward her chair and sitting down.

"Is it really?"

"It is." She confirmed, still smiling at him slyly. Scott hated that smile with a passion. If Emma were a boy, he'd slap it right off her face. "Real telepaths know how to use the art of blackmail."

Again the boys behind Scott had their ears peeked with interest. Blackmail she said. This could not turn out good.

"Excuse me?" Scott asked, checking to make sure he heard correctly. For someone who seemed as though she was trying to pull a fast one behind their backs, she sure was making some bolt statements.

"I said a real telepath knows how to—"

"No, I know what you said Emma. I just want to know what do you mean by blackmail."

"Well you know a secret of mine so it's only fair I know a secret about you right? As they say, an eye for an eye."

"I don't have any secrets."

"Right. And maybe Hank is just blue because he painted himself that way."

"Emma—"

"Don't play stupid with me Scott, I'm not an idiot, I know about your little girlfriend, and I know what you two are hiding."

"My girlfriend and I aren't hiding anything and even if we were, it's none of your business."

"Well everything's my business when it comes to my main man" she said sweetly, though her sugarcoated words were filled with sarcasm.

Scott looked at her disgustedly. "You're insane, I'm out of here Emma"

Getting up and preparing to leave Scott was halfway to the exist before Emma called after him.

"You'd better stop right there mister unless you want Mr. And Mrs. D'Acanto to find out that Rogue is in your bed tonight."

Scott froze in his tracks and slowly turned around to face her.

Oh shit, of double shit oh tripled shit, how'd she know that? He was positive Jean wasn't even aware of that. How could she have possibly found out?

"Emma?" Scott asked slowly, still turning to face her and gathering his words together in his mind before he said them aloud.

"How……..How'd you know Rogue was in my bed?"

Her smirk widened and she gave him a devilish stare. "_Ha, gotcha'_"

"I didn't" she replied vindictively, her smirk growing wider and wider as the seconds pressed on. "But thanks for informing me"

Oh. Fuck.

Scott was sure he felt his heart flip flop into his stomach and both of his organs drop to the floor. He was definitely in for it now. He definitely just screwed himself over.

Meanwhile Logan, Adam and Alex cringed behind him as well, not believing Scott fell into Emma's trap. As they all had to admit, neither of them saw it coming, it was still a shock, surprise and shame that it happened and none of them even wanted to begin thinking of what outcomes this could have.

"Emma" Scott began, completely at a lost of words for anything to say to her. He couldn't believe he said that; he couldn't believe he fell into her trap. He should have walked away when he had the chance; he should have never come here in the first place. "Emma you're—"

"A bitch?" she finished for him. "I know. But you know Scott, for someone who's a bitch I always manage to get what I want. Hmmm, wonder why that is?"

"You know what Emma, I think it's time you just left. You've really overstayed your welcome and I'm sure the professor wouldn't appreciate nor tolerate the childish games your playing."

"And I'm sure the parents wouldn't appreciate knowing their children are going to a school where the teachers date their students." Emma shot back. "Hmm, kind of evens out doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't. And if you think for one second that you're going to—"

"What are you threatening me now? Clearly you know I have the upper hand here Scott"

"You won't if you just leave like I asked you to in the first place."

"Well if I go, she goes. I'm sure she's overstayed her welcome just as long as I have. I'm positive mommy and daddy dearest would just die knowing their daughter is dating a man 11 years her senior."

Scott glared. "This is stupid Emma, and you're absolutely crazy. Why are you doing this? What satisfaction do you get at trying to ruin me and Rogue's relationship?"

"For pure entertainment Scott. Absolutely one-hundred percent sheer entertainment. I always get what I want and what I want is you. And if I can't have you, no one can, and I'll make sure to destroy anyone standing in my way."

"You're insane"

"Insane, crazy, bitchy, rude, all adjectives just to feed the beast that lies within. But regardless of that, are you going to give me what I want or what? Either way you can kiss that little country girl of yours goodbye, she's history."

"Drop dead Emma"

Emma smirked again. "Fine then, have it your way; I guess this is war."

…………………………………..

Review!


	26. Big Girls don't cry, they get even

Of Jealousy and Love ch 26

……………………………………………

All throughout the night Scott had trouble sleeping. He tossed and turned, moaned and groaned and rolled about, thinking about the conversation he had with Emma in the kitchen.

He couldn't help but think that Emma was just bluffing, and she wouldn't dare pull such a low down dirty stunt, but then again, if she had the will power to brainwash him ten years ago, what would stop her from doing this now? She was _Emma Frost_ after all. She was like a telepath female version of Magneto, except instead of fighting low down and dirty for mutant rights, she just fought for the things she wanted in life.

Oh God Scott swore that this weekend alone would kill him over in a heart attack. He thought he was a worrywart by the events taking place before but _this _really was a new level of worriment.

He just didn't know what to do.

Trying to call Emma's bluff was too big of a risk. If she turned out not to be faking, it'd screw him over and if she was, he'd probably expose himself while trying to prove her guilty.

Letting the situation go was also too big of a risk— possibly an even bigger risk— because if Emma opened up her big mouth, it was all over. His and Rogue's relationship would be over, Xavier's reputation would be over, _his_ own reputation would be over and he could count on just about any sort of happiness he had left in him being over as well.

Though there were a lot of loo-polls to he and Rogue's relationship, such as Rogue being 18 and being fully capable of making her own decisions as to who to date, and her being a _former_ student of his, and not really breaking any rules, Scott just wasn't sure that the other parents, or her parents for that matter were going to see it that way.

Parents of mutant children were often close-minded. They read line for line, see black and white and think inside the box. It was the reasoning behind sending their children to a mutant school in the first place; they couldn't accept differences. And it was the same with Rogue and Scott's relationship. Others would call it weird, but they would call it _different_. And with others, differences are always hard to accept.

Scott sighed, rolling over again as his alarm suddenly exploded with energy in the silent room, beeping away to alert the appointed time.

Cyclops sighed again. "_Seven o'clock already?_" he thought to himself, looking up at the ceiling. "_Oh man I definitely had no sleep what so ever." _

"Nooooo, shut it up" came a sleepy moan from off the floor.

He turned over to find his brother Alex, lying on the air mattress next to Adam pulling a pillow over his head and mumbling incoherently into it. "Five more minutes Scott" he said.

Just as Scott was about to hit the snooze button however, an abrupt optic blast beat him too it, and shot the noisemaking alarm clock, blowing it to pieces.

Scott whipped around to find Adam's once extended arm, reaching back toward the air mattress by his side. "I hate alarm clocks" he grumbled.

Scott sighed for the thousandth time that morning, throwing over the covers to get out of bed and prepare for the morning, but he stopped short when he felt a hand grace him arm.

"Huh?" he silently asked himself, pausing and turning around to find his beloved Rogue, staring at him adoringly with her lovely morning smile, graced upon her face.

He smiled.

"No good morning for me?" she asked, poking out her lip slightly and throwing him a pitiful look.

Scott smiled again. "Good morning babe" he said, planting a sweet kiss on her lips. He always found it amazing that whenever he was feeling bad, her smile cheered him up.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, sliding back onto the bed and slipping his arms around her.

Rogue shrugged. "Hmm, I guess so. If I don't think about it, then I'm fine."

Scott gave her another kiss. "You had me worried last night."

"I always have you worried Scott. It should just become second nature to you by now." She said and Scott gave her a pointed look, before tickling her on her side.

"Shut up" he said and Rogue laughed.

"You know breakfast is in an hour right?" he suddenly asked and she peered over him towards the clock to look at the time.

"Hmm" she released in a sigh, not really having a correct response. "I'm not really in the breakfast eating mood"

"Could it have anything to do with the fact that your parents are going to be there or are you just not hungry?"

"A little bit of both." She admitted, lacing her fingers in between her lover's.

"Rogue" Scott began. "You know you can't keep—"

"Scott please don't lecture me right now, I really can't take anymore. My head is pounding from whatever new power I've tapped into, I'm livid with my parents, I miss you so much and right now I just want to lye here with you and just…….talk." she confessed. "I don't want to worry about anything."

Scott sighed a hardy sigh. Should he tell her now? He could understand she was going though a lot at the moment and now more than anything she just needed time to herself but breakfast time would come sooner or later and Emma was going to be there. He'd hate for her to find out the hard way what she was up too.

He sighed one final time and planted a kiss on her for head before bravely approaching the delicate matter. "Babe, I don't think worrying about nothing is going to happen any time soon this weekend."

Rogue bunched up her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Scott sighed again. This was proving to be harder than the time he told her about he and Emma.

"Scott?" she asked. "What's wrong"

"_Ok well, my prayers go out to you God."_ Scott thought to himself. _"Guide me through this moment."_

"Babe, Emma knows"

"Emma knows?" Rogue asked, her eyebrows furrowing even closer together. "Emma knows about what?"

"She knows about us. She knows that me and you are together"

Rogue drew in a deep breath. Oh holy shit. Some how she figured the girl knew. She couldn't have interrogated her in the bathroom and have been hanging out with Jean all this time and _not_ known that they were together but there was just this faint hope; she was strongly wishing that she didn't know anything and was just being a bitch. Turned out she was a bigger bitch than Rogue originally thought.

"Ok" Rogue said, letting her breath of air go. She didn't know how to react to that piece of information. So Emma knew about her and Scott. Didn't mean she was going to do anything about it. She _could_, and there would always be the possibility looming around that she might, but it was just a possibility; maybe it wouldn't happen. "Well I guess that's fine, I mean, maybe she won't tell anyone."

Scott sighed again. Always an optimist that girlfriend of his; never seeing the dark truth behind the curtain of hope. "I'm afraid not hun" he said, shaking his head with shame and disappointment. He couldn't help but feel at fault for part of Emma's knowledge of their relationship. Though he was sure she new of it, long before they had their conversation in the kitchen, if he only left when he had the opportunity, he wouldn't have to explain these hard times to Rogue.

"What do you mean your afraid not?" Rogue asked. "Did she say something to you?"

Scott sighed again. "Well……..yeah but……….." Now he let go a frustrated groan. Oh yeah; this was definitely harder than when he told her about Emma in the beginning. "Ok for the record, I'm not going to spill out a disclaimer like I did the last time because well…..I guess part of this was my fault."

"Part of what?"

"Well……last night Logan came in here to check on you and you were sleeping then we got to talking and he was telling me about the fight he and Jean were having."

"Him and Jean had a fight?" Rogue asked. She suddenly flashed back to the conversation she had with Logan in the rain last night and she felt a pang of guilt wash through her. She really hoped it wasn't because of anything she said.

"Yeah, he said they were fighting because he brought up some sort of allegiance Jean and Emma might have and Jean got mad that he was blaming her for something she wasn't doing."

"Oh" Rogue said. Suddenly she felt small. Small and guilty. Though she wasn't too fond of Logan right now, nor was she fond of Jean or Emma, she would hate to cause any sort of trouble in anyone's relationship.

"Well anyway, that isn't the bad part?"

"It isn't?"

"No, you see I don't know if you've noticed or not but when Logan pointed it out to me last night, Jean and Emma's relationship seemed a bit weird. Like it was unnatural and suspicious."

"Yeah, I noticed it." Rogue said. "I was the one who told him about it last night."

"Well, Logan told it to me, Adam and Alex and we got to thinking and we felt the same way so we decided to have a chat with Emma to see what was going on."

Rogue's eyes went wide. "Have a chat with Emma?" she asked. "You went to—"

"I know let me finish" Scott interrupted. "Because believe me, as bad at is sounds, I'm not at the bad part yet."

She inhaled then exhaled, and gave him a look that asked him to continue.

"Well anyway so we go find Emma in the kitchen and we're trying to get information out of her, and then she starts playing her little mind games with me and gets me angry because she playing all these childish games and being foolish and then well one thing leads to another and she well…….she sort of got me to confess about you being in my bed last night."

Rogue's eyes went wide again. "You what!" she shrieked.

"Babe, babe, I know, I know, I'm sorry"

"Scott how could you?" she asked, flabbergasted her boyfriend would do such a thing. Oh jeez, and she thought she had it bad yesterday; today was going to be hell.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Scott watched as Adam got up off the air mattress and make his way to the bathroom, not being able to handle the noise in the morning. Alex however, was fast asleep.

"I know babe and I'm sorry, I'll admit it was my fault. She just tricked me dammit. She pulled one of those, I'll blackmail you with XYZ and I asked her how she knew about it and then she caught me. I'm sorry babe, really I am."

Now it was Rogue's turn to sigh and she buried her for head in the palm of her hand. "Scott, do you realize what Emma can do now that she knows this? She's going to dangle it in front of our faces for the rest of this weekend. And she'll probably let my parent's know, just for shits and giggles." Rogue said frantically.

Now Scott cringed. "Uh…. Honey, that was the bad part I'm afraid."

Rogue paused from digging her for head into her palm to look at him. "What was the bad part?" she asked, more afraid of the answer than the question.

"Ummmm…….she threatened to tell not only the parents in the school, but your folks as well."

Just as Scott had earlier, Rogue could have sworn she felt her heart flip flop into her stomach, and both organs summer salt into the floor. Her worst nightmare come true, blackmail by the worst person possible.

"Oh dear God" she moaned, feeling herself on the brink of tears once again. Her day just started and she was hoping for it to be a good one, but already it's been ruined. She didn't need to tap into any psychic abilities to know that today was going to be a disaster.

"Rogue baby, I'm sorry, I really, really am sorry" Scott apologized, gathering her up in his arms and rubbing her back in reassurance to soothe the tears before they came. He too could predict this day not going as well as it should and he could only imagine the negative effects it could have on their relationship.

"This weekend is the worst weekend of my entire life." Rogue sobbed, as the tears began rolling down her cheeks once more.

………………………………….

"That's weird" the professor said, looking out the window of his office as droplets of rain began panging against the window. He turned to the TV in the corner of the room where the weather man was looking as stunned as ever, trying to explain the unusual phenomenon that was occurring on his screen. Clouds were moving in fast; record speed fast and they were pouring into the Westchester area, throwing off all calculations already predicted for today's weather and disrupting the broadcast segment.

"The weather called for sunny skies today" the professor said aloud, watching as more rain panged against the window. "I wonder what's going on."

"Storm?" he said, turning to the weather goddess who was in the other corner of the room, looking out at the rain as well.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked. "Something you want to share?"

"The only thing bothering me is how the weather is changing so quickly when I'm the only one who has control over it; and I've been happier than a kid in a candy shop for the passed few days." She answered truthfully, stepping away from the full-length window and taking a seat next to Hank on the sofa. "I haven't been thinking any sad thoughts."

"hmmm, that's odd" Hank pointed out, exchanging looks between his girlfriend and the professor as well. "Maybe there's a new mutant about professor. Could she or he possibly have the ability to alt—"

"Oh no" the professor suddenly interrupted, closing his eyes the way he did whenever he was mentally locking in on one person in particular.

"What is it Charles?" Hank asked, wondering if his theory was correct. Was there a new student out there?

"It's Rogue" the professor said, gathering all the telepathic information he needed from the young girl before stopping his mental scan.

"Rogue?" Storm asked curiously. "What's going on with Rogue?"

"Rogue's causing the weather to change" he explained, opening his eyes and looking at his two colleagues. "It's part of her new ability she's tapped into; it's growing stronger as the minutes pass on."

"But why would she alter the weather?" Storm asked. "It was such a beautiful morning out and—she's upset isn't she?" Ororo asked, catching herself before she interrogated the professor any further.

"She's in her and Scott's room, and she's crying." The professor replied.

"About her parents?" Hank asked, knowing Mr. And Mrs. D'Acanto could be the reason behind just about anybody's tears.

"No, not this time" Charles answered solemnly. "This time I'm afraid Miss Frost is involved."

…………………………..

"Ha, look at that, rainy clouds on a sunny day" Emma laughed, looking out the window with a smirk. "Game, set, match, and miss Frost takes another victory." She said to herself, laughing as she loosened her robe and sauntered to the bathroom, turning on the water to prepare for a bath.

Jean watched her go from the bed and shook her head in dismay.

She wished this never happened.

She didn't know where the Phoenix part of her left to at the moment but as of now,_ Jean Grey_ was feeling absolutely horrible. It was all her fault that Emma was here and it was all her fault that things had gotten out of control and now Emma had taken matters into her own hands; and unceremoniously at that.

Jean didn't know what was wrong with her. She had set out to destroy Rogue and Scott's relationship; that was her ultimate and number one goal. She was sneaky, she was vindictive, she was crude, she was mean, she was a bitch, she was evil, and she let the worse of her two alter egos take hold.

And now that what she ultimately wanted was about to come true, she couldn't help but feel guilty and pitiful.

Had she known about Rogue and her parents, she would have eased up a little. Has she known that her parents bickering, and arguing would have unlocked Rogue's inner power she would have never called Emma in the first place. Had she known that Rogue would spend countless hours shedding tears and feeling sorry for herself and struggle with the confusion and inner battle of worthlessness and self-doubt, she would have dropped all jealousy all together and sent the girl a damn fruit basket.

But she didn't, and it was too late, because now things were out of control and it was all her fault.

She moaned in agony as she flopped face forward into the bed.

She could see it now; all the disappointed and disgusted looks and possible termination from her position at Xavier's. It was all over now and she had no one to thank but herself.

"What are you groaning about red head, we're winning here." Emma pointed out, coming back into the room and addressing Jean while pinning up her long blonde tresses and waiting for the water to get warm.

"Emma please" Jean begged. "We have to stop this"

"Stop this? Are you kidding me? We've got them right where we want them."

"Emma—"

"Oh right I forgot, you're ditching me to salvage your relationship with Tarzan." She spat the words at her like poison.

"Emma I'm not ditching you" Jean reasoned. "You have to understand, Rogue and Scott have a lot on their plate right now, especially Rogue and I don't think it'll do them any good if you rat out their relationship to the parents."

"Why not? Don't you think it'll give this weekend the bold kick it needs to liven things up" she said with a wicked smile.

"Emma" Jean warned.

"Don't you _Emma_ nothing Jean. You know a few days ago you were all gung-ho for this plan then all of a sudden you and monkey boy get in a fight yesterday and your backing out on me? You're so concerned for this girl and her damned parents as if you were her own mother"

"Emma, they kicked her out of the house and they fight and bicker and divorced without telling her. She's upset because she cares and she feels they don't return the feeling." Jean explained. "Wouldn't you feel the same if it was your parents?"

Emma paused from tying her hair up giving Jean and deadly glare. "My parents put me in a mental institution and tried to have me permanently sedated. As far as I'm concerned they're dead to me and I think all mutants should feel the same about their own parents as well" she said with a load of bitterness falling off her words.

"Emma please listen—"

"No _you_ listen Jean" she warned, and her voiced boomed as she talked. "_You're_ the one who called me and _you're _the one who came up with this harebrained idea and _you're_ the one who promised me Scott"

"Look, I know but you have to understand I—"

"No!" her voice boomed again. "Don't blame _me_ because now your feeling guilty and your spineless son of bitch boyfriend is threatening to leave you if this shit hits the fan."

"Emma—"

"Don't screw this up Jean." Emma warned dangerously. "Or I promise, they'll be hell for you to pay as well."

Jean sighed, sitting there for a moment and wondering just how serious Emma was but when she saw her face had no hints or cracks of joking what so ever, she knew the telepath should be taken seriously.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to go and shower and prepare for breakfast" the blonde suddenly smiled, turning on her heels and heading back into the bathroom.

Jean sighed again, flopping back into the bed.

"Oh shit"

……………………………

The parents arrived from their hotels around 7:30 to 7:45 that morning and it was straight to the dining hall for breakfast, where Scott unfortunately had to be there to greet them with Ororo, Jean and Hank and show them to their seats.

He didn't have much time to go over any sort of plan or tactic with Rogue to avoid Emma so he was hoping out of sheer luck that this breakfast would go well.

"Good morning welcome back to Xavier's" he greeted, shaking the hands of the adults as they walked in and watching as they reunited with their children for the morning, and joyously sat down. "Good morning welcome to Xavier's." he scanned the area, looking for any sign of Rogue, but she failed to show yet. "Good morning welcome to—" The guest standing before him grinned proudly.

"What? No good morning kiss?"

Scott frowned at the woman in front of him, watching as she smiled sweetly and swayed back and forth giving him an innocent adoring look with those sparkling blue orbs of hers. It was too bad that he could see straight through it.

"What do you want Emma?"

"What do you mean, what do I want?" she asked, looping both her arms into his. "You know what I want is you."

"Stop it" he said, pulling away from her and out of his hold.

"Oh good morning Mr. Summers" the interruption of a parents voice, halted the continuation of Emma's games.

Both turned to find Mr. And Mrs. Drake, greeting him warmly with Bobby standing by their side.

"Good morning, Mr. Drake, Mrs. Drake." Scott said, shaking whatever anger he had towards Emma away and shaking both their hands. "How was your stay at the hotel?"

"Oh just wonderful" Mrs. Drake exclaimed, remembering the service she received. "We couldn't wait to get back though" she said. "Couldn't wait to see out baby boy again" she added while kissing Bobby on the cheek as his dad ruffled his hair.

"Guys" Iceman complained, obviously mortified.

"Maybe you and your fiancé there could have a son as great as ours one day" Mr. Drake said, wrapping a proud arm around his son's shoulder.

Just as he was about to respond with a generous comment, Scott caught onto Mr. Drake's reference to Emma as his girlfriend. "Oh no Mr. Drake Emma's not my—"

"Fiancé" Emma interrupted before Scott got the chance, latching onto his arm and smiling at the family of three. "Well at least not yet anyway. Poor Scott here is a bit shy to pop the question." She laughed and Mr. And Mrs. Drake joined in.

Too engrossed with the family to pull away, Scott smiled graciously while shooting mental death glares at Emma, and unnoticed by his parents, Bobby shot the couple an odd look.

"Well there's nothing to be scared of Summers" Mr. Drake said. "The love between you two is imminent and Bobby always mentions to me how he looks up to you for a role model in his relationships, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Oh but dad, when I said Mr. Summers was engaged, I meant to—"

"Most people do look to Scott for romantic advice" Emma cut off again. "It's kind of sweet actually. They call him the love doctor around here." Another laugh was shared between them.

"How long have you two been dating?" Mrs. Drake asked.

"Mrs. Drake, Emma and I are—"

"Three years into our relationship." Ms. Frost interluded again. "About to be four this coming Tuesday."

"Wow, congratulations."

"Yeah, better pop the question soon Summers. She's quite a catch, wouldn't want her to be persuaded by anyone else would ya?" Mr. Drake joked. Again they laughed and again Scott graciously smiled while Bobby just stared in utter confusion. What was going on here?

"No" he said through slightly clenched teeth. "Definitely wouldn't want that."

"Well it was nice chatting with you two but I think we'd better take our seats before someone else does" Mrs. Drake suddenly said, keeping an eye on their table and the parents looming around it, looking for their seats.

"Yeah we better, Bobby's stomach was rumbling so load in the hall I thought it was an earthquake" Mr. Drake said and they laughed again.

"Dad" Bobby groaned.

"We'll see you later, Mr. And Mrs. Drake" Scott said. "And I'll get back to you on those progress reports you were asking for yesterday." He said to them as they began to leave.

"Great and uh, good luck with your lady friend. Don't be shy, just go out on a whim and ask her" he called, turning around to finally approach his spot.

Smiling generously, all the way until they Drake family was situated and their attention was diverted from Scott and Emma, Scott waited until the coast was clear before pulling away from Emma and shooting her a dangerous look.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, glaring daggers at her.

Emma smirked. "Why what ever do you mean Scott, I'm playing the game" she said.

"Stop it Emma, I'm serious" he said.

"Stop what?" she asked, approaching him once more and pressing her slender body against his fit one. "Stop being your girlfriend?"

"You're _not_ my girlfriend Emma"

"Well I'm going to have to be. If you don't want the rest of the parents to know who your real girlfriend is"

He sighed. Damn, she wasn't bluffing.

"C'mon Scott loosen up" she said, latching onto him again, this time slipping her arms around his waist. Scott was beginning to grow antsy. "You know you want me" she whispered seductively in his ear.

"Emma I—"

"Ow!" came the cry that interrupted him, as Emma stumbled back and off of him, after being shoved rather rudely.

"You know you really shouldn't play kissy-kissy games in the middle of the doorway, you could get hurt" Rogue warned, folding her arms across her chest and staring down at Emma, holding her own fort.

Emma scoffed, getting over the shock of the eighteen year old girl rudely shoving her, before crossing her own arms over her chest and giving her one of her own devious looks.

"You know, I don't know what you little demon children are taught nowadays but I think the word you were looking for was, I'm sorry." Emma shot back.

"No I think the word I was looking for was _slut_, but unfortunately the wind was knocked out of me after slamming into such a stout and hefty body so I didn't get a chance to say it."

Emma fumed while Rogue continued to hold her ground and smirk, displaying an expression that would make Logan proud.

"Little girl, I don't think I want to play with me" Emma warned dangerously. "You might get hurt"

"Would I?"

"Yes, you would. Especially if mommy and daddy have anything to say about it."

"Hmm. Mommy and Daddy?" Rogue thought sarcastically. "Oh you mean the ones who _had_ custody over me, three months ago, and who now have no decision whatsoever about what I do? Yeah, I'm sure they could do lots of damage."

Eyes darting over to the door, Emma smirked as she watched Mr. And Mrs. D'Acanto wonder in, scanning the area for their daughter. "You sure about that?" she asked with a cock of her eyebrow.

Rogue looked back to see her parents enter then turned back to Emma, her expression never faltering. "I'm positive"

Emma snorted. "Huh, bring out your Kleenexes little girl, cause when I'm threw with you, you're gonna' need um'."

"_Big Girls_ don't cry" Rogue corrected, watching as her parents approached from the corner of her eye. "They get even"

……………………………………

Review!!!!


	27. Warnings unheaded

Of Jealousy and Love ch 27

……………………………

Her parents spotted her and made their way over, while Rogue and Emma continued to stare each other down, un-phased by the hard glares they were sending each other.

Emma broke from her glare, only for a moment to look at Rogue's parents who finally reached their daughter, Mr. D'Acanto putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Rogue shrugged it off, before giving Emma one final stare and turning around to face her father. "Don't touch me dad" she warned, still angry at him from the previous day's events.

"Marie honey, we need to talk."

"Marie's not my name." She retorted, beginning to give him the same look she was giving Emma. "At least not to you anyway"

"Marie now don't you go and start with your—"

"Bethany please" his father interrupted, knowing that bickering was not how he wanted to start his day. "Mar……Rogue. Your mother and I need to talk to you; it's very important care bear."

Rogue snorted, clearly not caring what he had to say.

"Rogue" his father begged, looking pleadingly into his daughter's eyes. "Please?"

Now Rogue sighed. She asked the heavens why she was such a pushover sometimes. She solemnly swore that she wouldn't have a thing to do with her parents today but she really couldn't stand to see her father looking so pitiful; he must have really been sorry."

She ran a distressed hand through her hair. "Fine." She grumbled. "But can we at least have breakfast first?"

Her father's face brightened. "Of course care bear" he said, placing an arm around her shoulder and kissing her for head.

No matter how mad she was at the man in front of her, Rogue couldn't help but smile when he did that.

Just as they were about to make their way over to the table however, Emma decided to finally take this moment to intrude.

Plastering on her innocent, sweet, smile; Emma stepped in front of Rogue's parents, extending her arm for a handshake.

"Mr. D'Acanto, so nice to finally meet you, I'm Emma Frost" she introduced, shaking his hand confidently, as he shook hers unsurely.

Rogue however glared again.

"Ummm, nice to meet you as well." He said, watching as the cheery woman passed the same greeting onto his ex-wife, who also shot her a confused look and shook unsurely. "Pardon me if this comes out the wrong way but uhhh, I don't remember seeing you before. Were you here yesterday?"

"I sure was" Emma smiled. "I'm an old friend of Jean's"

"Jean?"

"Oh Pardon me, Ms. Grey"

"Oh" Richard said, still confused as to why this woman was introducing herself to him. What significance did she get from it? "Nice to meet you"

"Likewise. Listen I hope you don't mind me intruding but I think it's fair to say, we all saw that little spout you and your family had yesterday and well, I was just wanted to drop by and let you know that there are alternate options for your daughter."

Just as Richard was about to decline any options she was suggesting, knowing that this was not the time for such a conversation, Bethany interrupted with a question of her own.

"Alternate options?" she asked. "Like what?"

"Well like the school I run in Massachusetts for mutants as well. We're a regionally accredited school and with college credits to offer as well."

"Oh I don't think we're lookin' for another place like this to put Marie in again. One has been far too many." Bethany said and Rogue shot her a glare.

"Oh but my school is far less………untamed, than this school is Mrs. D'Acanto. I'm sure your daughter will be far better situated in a school that's more strict and well-mannered."

"Well mannered?" Richard asked. "What are you talking about, this school has perfectly well mannered students."

"The students maybe" Emma said. "But the teachers well…." She paused to give Scott a glance. "The teachers have been known to get a bit out of hand."

Scott glared at her and the statement peaked Bethany's interest even more.

"Out of hand? What are you talking about? Marie, what is she talking about?"

"Oh don't worry about her mom" Rogue said, still staring Emma into the ground. "Miss Frost here is just upset because if she doesn't recruit students soon, she'll be out of a job soon. The school board is threatening to shut down her school for lack of kids."

"Funny you should mention the school board. Let me see, what do you think the punishment could possibly be for being involved with a teacher, huh Rogue?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Rogue asked. "It's probably the same punishment you'd receive for brainwashing children. Wouldn't you agree Emma?"

She snorted.

"Marie?" Bethany asked, watching the exchange between her daughter and this Emma Frost character. "What is she talkin' about? What is going on here?"

"Nothing mom" Rogue answered, still glaring at Emma as she did so. "Absolutely nothing." She added as she began to walk away and find her and her parent's table.

Exchanging looks with one another and beginning to walk away, Marie's parents walked passed their daughter and made their way over to their table as Rogue lingered behind to address Emma one final time.

"You sure you wanna' play this game little girl?" Emma asked as Rogue turned around to face her. "It's sort of an unfair battle; you're just asking for defeat."

Rogue chuckled. "I'm so scared"

"I'm pretty sure you won't feel that way, once everyone knows your little secret."

"Emma—" Scott interrupted but Rogue cut her off.

"What secret? I'm not hiding anything."

"Oh so your relationship with Cyclops is just an open thing nowadays? Great, I'll be more than happy to let your parents know."

"You have no proof that Scott and I are in a relationship." Rogue threw back. "You may have seen or heard a couple things but what evidence do you really have?"

"So you're not dating then?"

"I can always deny it"

"Great" Emma said, clinging onto Scott's arm. He immediately removed it. "Than you won't mind if we spend a little time together would you?"

"Emma stop" Scott warned again but she clung back on.

Rogue tensed once seeing her hands grope and grab on her boyfriend and she tried to ignore it but the jealousy was getting the better of her. Emma laughed when she noticed it.

"Exactly" she said, removing her hands from Scott. "That's all the proof I need" she added with a tap on Rogue's for head.

She resisted the urge to slap her in the face.

"Enjoy your breakfast doll" she said, beginning to walk away to find her own table. "Might be your last at the mansion"

Once she left, Rogue was left to stand there, glaring at her back and Scott approached his girlfriend and sighed, not knowing how to react.

"Rogue" he began, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder. He really wanted to pull her into an embrace but considering the circumstances, he felt it wasn't appropriate. "Don't provoke her; you'll only make it worse."

"I'm not provoking her" Rogue defended, turning around to face him and gently removing his hand from her shoulder; she didn't want anyone getting suspicious.

"Then what are you doing; she's gonna' get mad and she's going to blow a cap" he warned, sighing as he said so. He could see this whole thing blowing up in their faces.

"I don't care if she gets mad" Rogue said looking down at the ground and then back up at Scott. "I'm just playing the game"

……………………………….

"Rogue darling, your mother and I wanted to talk to you about the divorce"

Rogue sighed to herself, buttering her toast and taking a small bite. She looked around the table and there were two other families seated with them; one being that of a student who was considering enrolling in Xavier's and the other being the parents of Rogue's former roommate, Siren. Anyway, they both looked happy and they both were going over the information pamphlet excitedly discussing the benefits of the school or looking over their child's portfolio, hugging and chatting proudly of Siren's achievements. And occasionally the families would associate with one another, Siren's parents giving the new comers parent's tips and advice about how to make the transition into a boarding school easier.

Either way both families were having a great time, enjoying the morning with their children and the warm friendly environment of Xavier's. They were having pleasant conversations and weren't discussing such an ugly topic like _divorce_.

"Rogue?" Richard asked again, when he noticed his daughter wasn't paying attention and Rogue snapped out of her jealous phase and turned to look at him.

"Rogue sweetheart we need to talk about this" he repeated and she sighed again.

"Oh right, yeah. Go ahead dad, take the floor" she said lamely and she took another bite of her toast.

Bethany pouted. "Ya know Marie, the attitude is not appreciate right now" her mother scolded, setting down her fork on her plate. Marie rolled her eyes. "Your father and ah, are tryin' to have a conversation with ya'. Can ya' please cooperate?"

She sighed again. "Ok mom, I'll cooperate" she said dryly. "Dad, you were saying something?"

"Rogue" Richard began. "I know this divorce has come as a surprise to you—" her eyebrows sarcastically shot up in surprise.

"I'll say" she muttered.

Bethany placed her hands on her hips. "Marie—"

"Bethany please" her father said, cutting off her mother. "Like I was saying care bear, I know this divorce came as a surprise to you but…..well, first off we'd just like to apologize, we should have told you sooner"

"_That would actually require you calling me first"_ Rogue thought viciously to herself but she kept it inside. She didn't want any more scoldings from her mother.

"How long ago didn't it happen?" she asked, pushing her food around her plate. She didn't look them in the eye because she didn't think they deserved it, and she tried to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

"We've been legally separated for about two years now" her father admitted. "The divorce settlement is coming through this week"

Shocked that this event had been occurring for so long, Rogue fought back the urge to react with shouting and yelling and she resorted her anger into a calm inhale and exhale of air. There was no use getting worked up about it now. She was already furious with them and she didn't think it was possible to be any angrier.

"So what does any of this have to do with me?" she asked running a hand through her hair again. "You're divorced and you're off the hook from one another, so what? What part do I play in all of this?"

"Sweetie we want ya' tah come home" her mother said, coaxing her up with as much tenderness as she could muster. Rogue wasn't buying it. She found it amazing her mother could sound so sweet and caring when it came down to something _she_ wanted, but had it been anything else she didn't approve of, out came super bitch. "All ya' things are still back in the house at Mississippi, we want ya' tah move back there."

"We?" Rogue asked. "I thought you were legally separated?" she asked.

"We are" Richard confirmed. "I moved back to New York City and I have a place in Manhattan, you're more than welcome to move in we me if you want Care bear"

Rogue to offense to this. "More than welcome?" she asked. "So you don't want me to move in with you then?"

"No, no, no, no, of course I want you to move in with me Rogue but I know that Mississippi is your home sweet pea You were born and raised there, and if you feel more comfortable living there than you do in Manhattan, I'll understand. I only want what's best for you."

Rogue sighed. "Well it doesn't really matter what place I was born and raised in now" she said, dropping her fork to finally look both of them in the eyes. "Xavier's is my home now, and I'm not leaving" she said.

"Marie honey, why would ya' wanna' stay here in this dump?" Bethany asked, frustrated her daughter wasn't complying with her. "This place has nothing to offer you."

"Xavier's is not a dump mom" Rogue defended.

"Rogue your mother's right" Richard agreed. Rogue looked at her father unbelievably. "Though you're right as well, Xavier's isn't a dump, there's nothing left for you here care bear; you already graduated."

"So"

"So, what do you plan on doing now? You can't just sit here and dwindle your life away. What's left for you here?"

"Sco—" She stopped herself short when she realized what she was saying. Scott was what was left for her here; he was the love of her life. But she very well couldn't let her parents in on that; it would be destroying everything she worked so hard to hide. "Dad, I already applied for college here and Xavier said I can stay as long as I need to." She covered. "This school is a safe place for me and I like it here; why can't you understand that?"

"But ya' teacher told meh how you gained control of ya' powers Marie" Bethany suddenly interrupted, causing Marie to shoot her a curious glare.

"Who told you that mom?" she asked, wondering who spilled the beans. She really didn't appreciate some one letting her parents in on her personal life. Especially her personal life she wasn't ready to inform them of yet.

"Oh that lovely little red headed woman." She replied. "Ms. Grey ah think her name was. What a gorgeous little thing she was." Bethany marveled. "And leggy to; you should take some beauty tips from her Marie, instead of walkin' around here like a zombie half the time."

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Well anyway Marie, mah point is, ya' can come home now an' be normal. I'm sure you can enroll in Mississippi University and they'll be more than happy ta' accept ya'"

"I don't want to go to M.U mom and I'll never be normal"

"Don't say that honey. As long as you act normal than ya' can be normal"

This tweaked Rogue's nerves. It seemed to her that that's all her mother cared about; her level of normality. That's probably why she wanted her home in the first place; she was probably running a bad rep in her old, tight-knit community and she needed her back to prove that her daughter wasn't a freak like everyone thought.

"And Caleb is still waitin' for ya darlin'." She added with a smile, unaware she was pissing her daughter off. "He comes by every weekend just ta' look at your pictures."

That was it; she's had just about enough of this.

Rogue slammed her fists on the table in frustration; just loud enough to startle her parents and just soft enough not to draw any attention from anyone else in the dining hall.

"No mom!" she exclaimed harshly, again just soft enough to keep it in the confinements of their table. "I don't care about Caleb and I don't care about M.U and I don't care about Mississippi"

"Marie" her mother said aghast, holding a hand to her heart.

"My name is not Marie mom, it's _Rogue_ and I will forever and always be Rogue so long as I live here because Xavier's is my home now and I will never be normal."

"Marie honey, ya name is not Rogue and don't ya dare go around—"

"No don't you dare mom." She spat back at her, cutting her off. "How dare you come here after _I_ invite you for some damn quality time and insult my teachers, insult this school, insult me, and then bring your damn family drama along with you." She said. "And then, you have the audacity to try and convince me to come home and say it's alright as long as I'm normal?"

"Mom, I am a mutant. I've been one for four years and I'll be one for the rest of my life. No amount of control or acting is ever going to change that. I am a m-u-t-a-n-t, mutant and I am damn proud to be one." She said. "So if for some reason in that twisted little mind of yours, you can't except what I am, than I suggest you just get the hell out of here and never speak to me again until you can change your mind."

"Marie" her mother said again completely and utterly shocked at what her daughter just told her. For once, she didn't know what to say.

"I'm serious mom" Rogue said, "Just leave me alone"

And with that she excused herself from the table and left the room.

………………………………

Emma watched and listened as the scene unfolded in front of her eyes and smirked to herself, deciding now was as good as ever to make her move.

Looked as though Rogue was making this oh-so easy for her to win.

Though it upset her a little to know that the fight was probably gone from her, and it would be like taking candy from a baby to win the battle, at least in the end, she was getting what she wanted so she wasn't to disappointed by it.

"Oh well, at least I can accomplish what I've set out to do" Emma said to herself, getting up from the breakfast table and walking out to follow Rogue.

A voice protruding in her head, suddenly interrupted her. "_Emma, I think we need to have a talk"_ the voice suddenly said. It was calm, gentle, yet concerned and even a deaf man would know it was the voice of professor Xavier.

"_Well, well, well, professor Xavier, what's got you all wrapped up this morning?"_ she asked sweetly, knowing damn well it was her and her antics.

"_Please just meet me in my office, we'll discuss it when you get here." _He said and with that the telepathic connection was terminated.

Emma just smirked.

………………………………………….

She made a detour to the bathroom before she went, taking her sweet time to get to his office and when she arrived she was surprised to find, Jean, Scott, Ororo, Logan, Hank and none other than Rogue, already situated there.

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got ourselves a party here" Emma said as she sauntered in, shutting the door behind her and flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. "Meanwhile, while we're in here, who's watching the kids and their folks?" she asked.

"I have a few of my other staff members handling that" the professor said, wheeling in front of the group. "There's no need to worry. Please have a seat."

"Not a problem" she said, still walking in as if nothing was going on and taking a seat in the lone chair situated next to Logan. Rogue glared at her and Emma threw back a wink. "So what's this meeting about? In search of a new X-man?"

"It's been brought to my attention that there is a problem circulating between you all" the professor began. "Or more specifically you, Rogue, Jean, Logan and Scott. And though I'm not one to get in on personal bouts, I would like to see this end, _now_." He explained, putting strong emphasis on the urgency of the time. "This weekend is far to important to have soap opera crisis's floating around."

The group was silent.

"So, would anyone care to take the floor?" he asked.

They still kept quiet.

"Jean" the professor urged, knowing good and well she was the start of this whole drama. "Is there anything you want to say?"

The telepath only looked to the floor in shame. She knew she was the cause of this and she knew that he knew she was the cause of this but she couldn't bring herself to say it; everyone would hate her and Logan would leave her.

"Logan" the professor pressed on when the telepath remained silent, fighting back tears. "Is there anything you would like to contribute?" he asked.

Logan huffed. "Hmpf. Emma's a bitch" he pouted, digging around his jacket for a cigar. This was a fairly stressful morning. "But I'm sure that's not something you didn't know already."

The professor sighed. "How about you Scott?" he continued, turning to the X-men leader. "Clearly, there is something you would like to get off your chest."

Cyclops sighed. Although he didn't want to snitch on Emma and Jean, (even though they clearly deserved it and so much more) he just couldn't take this sitting down anymore. He needed this resolved now.

"Professor, Emma knows about me and Rogue and it's driving me nuts" he confessed, eying Emma out the corner of his eye to catch her reaction. She just kept on smirking away. "It's wrong to judge her or anyone else for that matter but she has a history of making a mess and I just don't trust her" he said.

Emma kept on smirking until the professor turned to her and it was quickly replaced with a smile.

"Emma" he asked. "Is this true?" He adjusted his position in his chair. He could feel a real type of Jenny Jones conversation following soon.

"Yeah it's true" she said casually, inspecting her nails for perfection. "You can thank Jean for that" she said and the whole room turned to Jean.

The telepath only buried her face in her hands and tried to look through the floor if that was at all possible. She really did not want to face them.

"Jean" the professor began. "What is she—"

"Don't waste your breath Professor X, Jean is a sell out." Emma interrupted, "Next she'll probably rat you out to the feds about all these mutants living under one roof" she said crossing her legs over one another and turning around to face him. "Meanwhile I think you've got bigger problems on your hands"

"Really?" Charles asked, intrigued. "Like what?"

"Like why an eighteen-year-old student is involved with a twenty nine year old teacher" Emma said, throwing him a challenging stare. The professor's look never faltered.

"Emma, Rogue is a former student of Scott's and they're not breaking any rules. Plus it is no concern of mine, nor anyone else's whom the both of them choose to be involved with. I cannot control them, nor reprimand them for making such decisions."

"Right of course, but it was all your business when Scott an I slept together ten years ago. I even remember a certain someone getting kicked out of the school because it was reprimanded."

The professor's look hardened. It wasn't something seen so often on his face and when it was made, the whole world knew he was angry.

"Emma you _brainwashed_ him." He defended, not appreciating her sarcasm one bit. "And I take it upon myself to correctly discipline any mutant who chooses to misuse, his or her gifts."

"Sure, it's ok for the dean to do it but when it comes down to the trainees, everything is wrong."

"Emma—" his voice was beginning to become escalated, and he was growing angrier as the minutes pressed on.

"Oh don't Emma anything professor. Are you not the same one who "caged the beast" as some would put it?" she taunted. "Stopped not only Jean and I from reaching our full potential but kept Rogue from knowing about her inner power as well?"

Rogue looked up in interest. What was she talking about? The professor was holding her back on her powers?

"Weren't you the one who enforced mental shield after mental shield to keep us contained? Trying to keep the destruction imprisoned within our minds? Is that not misusing your power professor?"

"I do not have to explain myself to anyone Emma; especially to you. And I only did was I did to protect not only you but everyone else as well. You have no idea what could have come about had I not took the precautionary levels that I took, and I chose the lesser of two evils to escape it."

"Right" Emma scoffed.

"Besides, you know very well this meeting is not about what I've done Emma. It's about our concerns of you" he said.

"Right" she smirked. "So let's just get back to _my_ concerns." She said. "Because oddly enough, right now, _my_ concerns aren't for myself."

The professor sighed. He was almost afraid to ask. "And what are they about Emma?"

"They're about Cyclops and the Sundance kid over here" she retorted.

"They are non of your concern Emma"

"Well nothing ever is and yet, here we are professor Xavier."

"Emma, your playing your mind games with the wrong competitor." Charles strongly headed.

"Who's playing mind games?" Emma smiled. "And while we're using this marvelous noodle of ours I ask you, don't you think that it's just a tad bit unorthodox that as soon as little miss D'Acanto becomes eighteen, her and Scott are involved in a relationship? Wouldn't you have to agree that _something_ had to have happened previously for those two to become involved so quickly?"

"Emma I cannot discipline them for passed actions, especially without any proof of anything occurring in the first place."

"If a thief robs a bank and a week has passed, he's still a thief is he not?" she fired back and the professor fumed.

"Emma Frost—"

"Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma!" she yelled back, standing up out of her chair. "Everything is Emma's fault, blame everything on Emma! But if you ask me, you're cornering the wrong culprit here." She fumed. "_Jean_ is the one who called me here and _Jean_ is the one who allowed me to stay, knowing this sort of event would turn out. Now I asked you, professor Charles Xavier, is this still all my doing?"

"I will handle Jean later Emma but that still doesn't change the fact that—"

"That what? Two wrongs don't make a right?" she asked and he sighed hard, nodding on confirmation. "Well, you've got two wrongs sitting right there and it seems right to the whole damn world so why not me?" she asked, pointing to Scott and Rogue.

The professor rubbed his temples gently and closed his eyes. His headache was booming right about now and he didn't think he could take anymore.

Storm quickly got up from her seat and rushed to his desk to fetch him his aspirin.

"Well I can see this has you in a bind Mr. Xavier and I for one do not want to be the cause of a heart attack so if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go and fix that wrong" she said, making her way toward the door as Storm handed the professor two pills and a glass of water.

"Emma" he halted her, once consuming the pills, staring angrily at her back.

She stopped in her tracks and continued to smirk, not bothering to turn around.

"If you walk out that door now, I expect you to continue through until you reach the exit" he warned and her smirk deepened as she still faced the door.

"Of course professor" she said maliciously. "I wouldn't do anything but" she replied placing her hand on the doorknob.

"But of course, not before making quick little pit stop" she added twisting the knob and walking through the door slamming it with an audible boom as she left.

The others were left to just sit there in silence, assessing the damage that Emma left behind and the damage she was about to create.

"Dear God, help our souls" Hank prayed, breaking the silence as he stared hardly at door.

…………………………………

Review!!!!


	28. Spilling the beans

Of Jealousy and Love ch 28

…………………………………………

The room was still silent after Emma left in the way she did, no one in the room having a word or comment to follow her behavior.

It seemed as though these passed events were ultimately surreal and this was all a part of some sick joke. She really wasn't going to tell was she? Could she really be that mean? The girl had to have some kind of heart stored up somewhere in that lean body of hers right? If she told it would probably have some effect on her as well but then again Emma wasn't associated with Xavier's in any shape or form. She was just a visiting friend; so she really had nothing to loose. Either way she wouldn't really spill the beans after they just had this conversation with the professor would she?

They weren't sure.

Except for those who knew better of course; such as Jean, Scott and the Professor. They all knew Emma like the back of their hand and they knew once she set her mind out to do something, she was going to do it.

"Professor" Storm broke the silence, turning to the man next to her after a long stare at the door. "We're not going to just sit here are we?" she asked. "She can't get away with this"

"She can and she will" Scott answered for him, sighing and burying his face in his hands.

"Not if we don't do something first" Ororo objected. "We can stop her, if we just—"

"Ororo c'mon you know better; I know better, hell we all know better; we grew up with Emma. She's like a bee Storm, once you provoke her enough then she stings."

She sighed hard; Scott did have a point. But that didn't mean that she could sit here and accept the fact that the one woman wrecking crew was about to destroy everything. "Well…….what about you and Rouge?" Storm asked cautiously. She knew the outcomes of this would not turn up well and she knew that they knew as well, but she would hate to see something like this ruin Scott and Rouge's relationship; they didn't deserve this.

The couple turned to face one another, having the same defeated and clueless looks on their faces; they didn't know what to do next.

"I don't know" Scott finally said, shaking his head in dismay. "I guess there's nothing we can do. We just have to ride it out."

"No we don't" Rogue replied, speaking up for the first time since she entered the room. Scott turned back to face her as well as the rest of the room and Rogue got up out her chair, fixing her blouse and preparing to follow the destruction that walked out the door.

"Babe what are you talking about we all know Emma, and nothing we say or do is going to stop her" Scott said. "There's nothing we can do."

"Well there is one thing we can do" Rogue said, shrugging anxiously and crumpling up her face in an I-really-don't-want-to-do-this manner. "Its' really the only thing I can think of though"

"What?" Scott asked desperately, ready to jump off the empire state building if need be.

"We've gotta' beat her to it"

………………………………………………

"Rogue" Scott whined for the millionth time, following in tow as she led the way. "Are you sure about this?" he asked unsurely, peering in through the doorway were all the parents were seated in the auditorium; thankfully Emma was nowhere in sight.

"Scott it's do or die, you know it's the right thing to do" Rogue said, peering through the doorway as well and scanning the area for her parents.

"Yeah I know but…..well it's just, I value my position here you know, and I don't know but you're parents seem like the type of people that would write me up to the school board or something."

"Scott, I'm eighteen years old and I'm not your student anymore; we're not braking any rules."

"So you're saying your parents wouldn't write me up?" he asked pointedly. He hated to sound bratty but he knew this sort of thing was just asking for trouble; and trouble was something he tried not to run into occasionally.

"I know one of them wouldn't" she replied, walking into the room when she finally caught sight of her dad. "C'mon" she said, leading the way to her father.

"Rogue" Scott whined behind her but it was no use, she just kept on going.

They finally reached her father, sitting alone in one of the seats in the auditorium, and going over the program he had in his hand. Apparently after a brief general announcement, there was a little show that was going to be put on by the children in the school. What a cute and fun way to spend the Sunday morning; he only wished Rogue would hurry back so she could enjoy it with her.

Rogue stopped halfway between reaching her father and sighed, briefly pulling herself together and fixating her clothes.

This was it; it was now or never. She knew she had to tell her dad about her and Scott before Emma got the chance and she knew even though her dad would probably blow a cap, it was ten times better than him finding out from Emma. Lord knows it was ten times better than him finding out from Emma because she could picture it turning into a scene and causing the whole world to know what was going on in her life. She had to be honest with her father just like he was honest to her.

"It's not to late Rogue" Scott said as she halted, whispering desperately in her ear. "There's still time to turn around" he pleaded.

Rogue turned around to face him. "Scott" she said helplessly, a pleading look present in her eyes. Damn how he hated that look; it could get him to do just about anything. "You know we have to tell him." She said, the helplessness growing larger in her eyes. "It's the only way"

Scott sighed again. "I know, I know" he said in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm just………..I don't know…..nervous." he confessed, fixating his tie as well. "I mean we've been covering this thing all weekend and now…………well…."

"I know" Rogue said, cutting him off with her own doubts. "But it's the only way." She said. "If Emma gets to them first than……."

"I know, I know, our goose is cooked" he concluded, sighing once more. "C'mon then, let's get this over with"

They both made their way over to her father who was still heavily engrossed in the program sheet, but once Rogue appeared by his side, he happily set it down and greeted her with a smile.

"Ah, there you are care bear, I was beginning to get worried."

Rogue gave him a small smile.

"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing the worried and concerned look on her face.

"Yeah dad I'm fine." She replied. "Look, uhh………can we talk?"

He briefly glanced over at Scott, displaying his own look of worriment before replying. "Uh sure care bear" he said getting up out of his chair. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain in a minute, uh…..where's mom?"

"She's using the restroom I think. Are you sure everything's alright?"

Rogue sighed one final time. "I sure hope so"

………………………………..

Exiting the stall and making her way over to the sink, Mrs. D' Acanto sighed as she slung her purse over he shoulder and turned on the faucet. Her daughter's words were still on her mind as she lathered her hands up with soap.

How could Maire say such things to her? To _her_, she was her mother. And yet she mouthed off like she was one of her incompetent little friends. She just couldn't believe it. Where had she gone wrong? When had she raised her daughter to be so juvenile? And if that wasn't bad enough, to make matters worse, Rogue had the nerve, no the _audacity_ to accuse her of only wanting her home if she was normal.

How wrong could she be, she always wanted her home. From the day she left, Bethany's always regretted forcing her daughter to leave. She just never got around to calling her back and bringing her home with the divorce going on all around her.

What a selfish little thing she was, how dare she be so conceited; didn't she care at all that she and Richard weren't together anymore? Didn't she care that her mother was going to live all by her lonesome in that big old house in Mississippi? Why was she being so rude?

Again Bethany sighed, scrubbing her hands under the running water.

"That daughter of mine" she mumbled grudgingly to herself while furiously scrubbing. "Ah swear; it's that damn father a' hers"

Before she could utter another comment to herself, the door to the ladies room opened, stopping Bethany from saying anything further.

She rinsed off her hands and turned off the faucet, shaking her hands free of excess water while turning to see whom it was that entered.

It was a gorgeous blonde woman, the one she remembered introducing herself this morning at breakfast, but she couldn't quite remember her name. Either way Bethany smiled politely while reaching for a paper towel and dried her hands.

"Hi, how are ya'" she said, slinging her purse up on her shoulder again and throwing the paper towel in the garbage.

"I'm doing great" Emma replied, plastering on a smug smile. "And yourself?"

Bethany sighed. "Ah could be betta'" she replied honestly, beginning to dig around her purse for her compact mirror. "But what can ya' do right? Just live each day like there's no tomarrah."

"Here, here" Emma toasted, raising an imaginary glass to the air. "Oh hey your Rogue's mom right?"

Bethany scoffed. "According ta' her Ah'm not" she grumbled, checking her appearance in the tiny mirror. "But it reads on her birth certificate Ah am so, yes, Ah'm _Marie's_ mother."

Emma raised her hand up in defense. "Sorry, Marie" she apologized and Bethany smiled.

"It's ok, Ah don't know why she insists on havin' people call her that dreadful name." Bethany said, shaking her head in dismay.

"We all have our phases"

Again Bethany snorted, digging around for her lipstick. "Oh, Ah'm sorry but, I know ya' introduced ya'self ta' meh this mornin' but ah can't remember ya' name. What was it again?"

Emma smiled. "Emma" she said. "Emma Frost"

"Oh yeah right Miss Frost" Bethany smiled. "Say, what was that thing about with ya and ma daughter this mornin', she seemed all worked up about it at breakfast."

Again Emma smiled, this time evilly on the inside and sincere on the outside.

"_Like taking candy from a baby"_ she thought to herself. "Well I really don't know if it's my place to tell you" she said modestly, putting on a show for the dear woman. "I mean this came as a shock to me and I'm not even her mother, I can't imagine how you would feel about it."

Bethany suddenly grew concerned. "What?" she asked setting down her lipstick and mirror. "What's goin' on with Marie"

Emma sighed with faux doubt. "Alright I'll tell you" she said. "But only because I'm concerned about Marie."

…………………………………

They led Richard to their suite, opening the door and leading him inside in pure silence.

Adam and Alex were already situated in the room and on the bed, watching a movie like they've been doing for the whole weekend, and they paused in curiosity when they saw the trio enter through the door.

"Hey Scott what's going on?" Alex asked, looking more at Richard than his brother. Who was this man?

"Guys I need my room for a sec, so if you don't mind could you…….." Scott asked, making a hitchhiking motion with his thumb toward the door.

Alex mock frowned. "Well" he said, throwing his arms over his chest. "If you didn't want us around, all you had to do was say so. Don't try and bring him in here and pull off a gig" he said and Scott's face remained the same. It was as if he was begging for his two brothers to leave.

Adam, fortunately, picked up on the hint and he knew Scott was in no mood to joke around. "Let's go idiot" Adam said, pulling his baby brother up by the collar and leading him out the room.

"Hey!" Alex whined, stumbling along as Adam dragged him out. "No! My popcorn!"

"Well get more on the way out." Adam promised, walking passed the trio in the doorway and entering the hallway. "And hey I even heard the kids are putting on a show in the auditorium."

"Oh cool, breakfast and a show, this place has everything."

And with that the two were gone and Scott shut the door behind them.

"Rogue?" Richard asked again in concern, looking around the room then at his daughter and Scott. "Rogue what's the meaning of this, what's going on?"

"Dad, I just…….I…….here, have a seat" she said, ushering him towards the bed and guiding him to take a seat on the edge. She sat down next to him as Scott turned off the TV.

Richard looked around the room. "Rogue honey, this isn't you room. I thought the room you showed me had—"

"I know" she interrupted, sighing again and running her hand through her hair for about the millionth time. "It's part of what I had to talk to you about."

Richard sighed, turning his body toward his daughter and displaying his looks of concern. "Ok, and you need your teacher here to discuss it too?" he asked, briefly glancing at Scott again. He was wondering why he was tagging along all this time if Rogue needed to speak to him about a pressing issue. Was he involved as well?

"Well he's apart of it too dad." Rogue replied.

Oh. Well he guessed that answered that question. "Alright then care bear, what's this all about? You're scaring me here." Richard asked. "Are you in any sort of trouble?"

"No" Rogue replied sighing again. She looked toward the floor, gathering her words together before she spoke them to her father. This was it; this was the moment; from now on what she said and how her father reacted would determine if she walked out of here relieved or in tears.

"Dad" she began, looking up into his eyes. "You remember when you and mom asked me to move back home cause you said I had nothing left here?"

"Of course I do sweet pea, you said you wanted to stay because you liked it here and you felt safe here" her father replied, remembering the conversation just as it occurred.

"Well yeah" Rogue agreed. "That's true but……there's something else" she said. "Well actually; someone else"

Richard looked confused and looked toward Scott once more. "You mean your teacher?" he asked, putting two and two together. Obviously if he was here in this conversation, he had to play some part in it. "You're staying because of him too?" he asked.

"Yeah" Rouge again agreed, this time dragging it out unsurely. "But uh…..It's important you don't call him my teacher dad" she said. "He used to be my teacher and now he's my counselor. I'm going to work as a teacher's assistant for him while I work on my degree in education"

Richard smiled. Was that what this was all about? Well then there was no reason to get all worked up, this was great news. Rogue knew what she wanted in life and she was on the first milestone to getting there. She was doing something with her life and he was proud of her.

"Oh well that's no problem Care Bear, I'm proud of you" Richard said, embracing his daughter in a hug. Rogue was too stunned to return it. "It's alright if you don't want to move back home because you're working on college. I completely understand if you want to—"

"No dad" Rogue interrupted him again, bringing his happy train to a halt. There was no time to get excited yet; it would only make the hurt worse when she told him the real news. "That's not what I had to tell you."

Richard paused. Uh-oh; now he was beginning to grow worried again. "It's not?" he asked; Dear Jesus in heaven please don't let her say what he thought she was about to say.

"No" Rogue replied, again sighing one final time. All right here it goes. "Dad, Scott's not just my counselor" she said watching his facial expressions for any changes. It remained worried and concerned.

"He's my boyfriend"

Oh dear Jesus she said it! Why oh why did she have to say it?

Somehow he knew; somehow he knew it was coming and he knew that something along those lines were to happen. Why else would she be so adamant about staying at Xavier's, even if she already graduated? Why else would that Emma Frost character this morning mention, teachers dating the students? And why else would she drag him all the way to this strange room with her teacher in tow and tell him they needed to talk? He knew something like this could possibly be the problem but he was just desperately hoping that it wasn't.

Now that it did however, he didn't know how to react. Should he be mad, glad, angry, sad? How old was this character anyway, thirty? He didn't want some thirty-year-old-pervert griping and groping all over his daughter. And he was her previous teacher. Just what the hell was Rogue doing in class all this time? Flirting? She just graduated three months ago and already she's in a relationship with him? Something had to have happened before that.

Ok, now it was pretty safe to say that Richard was growing angry.

Fortunately Rouge picked up on this and decided to throw in her disclaimer, hoping it would calm her dad's mood before it escalated. "Now dad before you say anything Scott is not my teacher anymore so we're not breaking any rules and we started dating _after_ I graduated and _after_ I turned eighteen. _Nothing_ happened before that I swear." She said quickly, trying to avert the anger before it started.

There was a pause in the room before Richard sighed as a response, blowing off whatever steam he had in one long exhale. Oh, how could he be mad at her? He's been ruining her weekend so far with his bouts with her mother and his news about their divorce, he couldn't honestly be angry at her for _this._ Sure it was her teacher but it could be worse he supposed. She could have moved in with him.

"Do you…….do you two share this room Care Bear?" he asked cautiously; a part of him didn't _want _to make it worse, but the other part just needed to ask.

"Yes?" Rogue asked, more than replied, afraid of upsetting her father more and he sighed again.

Ok it just got worse.

"Dad" Rogue began, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please…..say something" she pleaded; she needed to know how he felt about this. It was agonizing enough mustering up the courage to drag him down here and tell him, now she needed to know if it was worth it or not.

Richard turned to look at Scott again, this time long and hard and Scott helplessly grinned, not knowing what to say to the man. He didn't want to just sit there and let his girlfriend do all the explaining but at the same time he didn't want to come off too strong and provoke him either. He wasn't sure how Richard would react so keeping quiet while Rogue explained for now seemed like the best option.

"I……." Richard began searching deep in his mind for the right words. "I……..don't know what to say" he admitted, blinking hard to push himself into reality. Maybe this was all a dream; maybe this was just some sort of telepathic delusional nightmare. He blinked again. Nope, still real.

Rogue sighed. "You don't know what to say?" she asked helplessly, almost afraid to ask it. "Is that good? Bad? In between?"

Richard turned to look at her again. "Care Bear……….I just………I can't……………why?" he asked still not able to find the right things to come out his mouth. But why seemed like a suitable question right? It was valid; it was reasonable; and he really wanted to know.

"Well, because we care about each other dad" Rogue replied, plain and simple. "We wouldn't be together if we didn't"

"But he's your—"

"He _was_ my teacher dad" she corrected before he could finish. "And I mean, if you could just get past that—"

"And his age" Richard added.

"And his age" Rogue confirmed with another sigh. "Than you'll really see that he's a great guy"

Scott inwardly frowned as they had this conversation. He was beginning to feel insulted here. How many times did they need to mention he was a teacher and he was twenty-nine years old? It suddenly made him want to switch professions; just to feel younger.

Richard paused in thought. "Why……….why didn't you tell me sooner care bear?" he asked suddenly. "This is a lot of information to take in"

"Honestly dad, we were sort of…………trying to keep it a secret" His look of concern heightened. "Just for this weekend" she quickly added.

"But why honey?" he asked after calming down. "I'm your father; you know you can come to me for anything"

"Dad" Rogue began, giving him a pointed look. "I haven't seen or heard from you or mom in four years and when you got here all you've been doing is arguing and complaining, then you tell me you got divorced." She explained. She tried to fight back the tears that seemed to reemerge each time she was reminded of the story.

Richard nodded in agreement; she did have a point.

"Plus, we didn't want any of the other parents to find out either" she said. "People don't know all the things that me and Scott have been through and when they see a twenty-nine-year-old man and an eighteen-year-old girl together, all their going to do is judge." She explained. "It could ruin Xavier's reputation"

Again Richard nodded in agreement. He guessed she had a point. Just thinking about how _he_ reacted to this news, he couldn't imagine any of the other parents. They were already judging him and his family enough by the public spouts they've displayed in the small amount of time, he wouldn't want to add insult to injury to his baby and get them wrapped up in this as well.

" Uh..Mr. D'Acanto sir?" Scott finally spoke up, brining Richard out of his train of thought. "I just want to let you know that hiding a relationship really is out of the norm for me and we did it out of no disrespect to you or your family" he explained. "I apologize if it offended you in any way and our purposes were clearly to avoid any mayhem or disturbances with Xavier's reputation"

Richard inwardly smiled. What a respectful and articulate young man he was. For a brief moment he was happy that at least Rogue chose a smart ex-teacher to date and not some preppy airhead or ruff neck like that P.E teacher they had.

"Well" Richard sighed again, smiling at Scott respectfully and addressing him and his daughter. "I guess I can't be too mad. After all I did ruin your weekend sweet pea" he said, cupping his daughters cheeks.

Rouge smiled.

"Let's just call it an even trade hmm? I upset you, you surprise me, we can really work out the details later" he bargained.

Her smiled suddenly morphed into a frown. Even trade? No that's not what she wanted. As great as it sounds if they just put it behind them now and decided to "address it later" they may never get to the bottom of this. And then who knows what kind of suspicion or hate could be building up inside of him.

"No dad, that's not what I want" She ran another hand through her auburn tresses as she spoke and she swore here hair was going to fall off from the amount of hand-combing it was receiving today.

"Well what is it that you want Care Bear, I want to make this better"

"Dad, I want you to understand" she said, taking Scott's hand into her own. Scott responded anxiously, a little uncomfortable about holding her hand right in front of her father but he settled when he saw Richard react calmly about it. "I'm not asking for your immediate acceptance or your blessing for marriage or anything like that but I'm just asking that you understand dad. Just understand that Scott makes me happy and I love being with him. I don't want us to put this behind us and never address it again, I want us to take it one step at a time and grow and accept and over time possibly become family but I can't just leave it here dad; I don't want it to go as an "even trade" and everyone goes home miserable"

Placing his hand on her back and looking deep into her eyes, Richard smiled after her brief speech as he thought about how long it's been since he's last seen his daughters brown orbs. Four years it's been; four years since he's _really_ looked deep into the depths of her eyes, passed the pupils and into the soul and back then they were covered with sadness. But oh how those coffee polished pools have changed.

He could tell she was serious about this. Serious about her care for this man and serious about how she wanted him to understand that she needed to stay because of him; that she possibly loved him. It was still a shock to Richard as he expected to come back and catch up with his Care Bear, not see her in the care of a stranger, ready to take her heart away, but as much as he hated to admit it; Rouge had grown up.

She wasn't the little fourteen-year-old girl they had kicked out the house for being "different"; she was now an eighteen-year-old woman. And although to him she was still a child and was still his little girl, he could see that she's matured vastly and she's learned to deal with inner and outer conflicts and handle them with care.

So they hid their relationship from him; big deal. He could understand why they did it, and he could understand that they only did what they did to prevent (what was unknown then) further conflict.

He was actually proud of her. He was proud of her for handling the ups and downs of this weekend like a grown adult and he was proud of her for honestly coming to him and letting him know what was going on.

And that gave him understanding.

"Oh Care Bear" he said, darn near tears. He embraced her in a hug, forcing her to let go of Scott's hand and she reluctantly returned it; a little surprised by his reaction. She was honestly expecting uncertainty, disappointment and maybe a bit of yelling, not….hugs. "Of course I understand honey" he added, embracing her tighter.

"You do?" Rogue asked excitedly, blinking hard to check if she was still in this reality.

"Yes of course I do" Richard replied. "I understand that this is what makes you happy and if what makes you happy is…….Scott, than how can I argue?" he smiled. "I only want what's best for you."

"Oh daddy thank you!" Rogue exclaimed, embracing him in a real hug this time and squeezing the life out of his lungs. Richard chuckled a bit and ruffled her hair as she did so, feeling the old feelings and memories rush back to him from the good ol' days.

Rogue however felt a thousand pound ton finally lifted from her shoulders. It was great, no it was incredible that Rogue's father understood about her and Scott and it made her feel great that she wasn't hiding anymore secrets (from him at least). It was a small step for her and Scott's relationship being accepted in her family but a big leap to mending her relationship with her father as she was beginning to think that after this weekend, things would never be the same.

But now she knew; now she knew that at least one of her parents cared about her and at least one of her parents cared about what she wanted and what made her happy. So long to the days of selfish reasoning and misunderstandings; this was turning over a knew leaf.

"Now understand" Richard cautioned. "This still doesn't mean that I'm one-hundred percent ok with the idea. To be honest, I'm still a bit jittery about it."

Rogue nodded.

"But I'm sure Scott, will treat my daughter with the utmost respect and Rogue, you in turn will make sure things don't get out of hand"

The couple nodded in unison.

"I wouldn't have it any other way sir" Scott replied.

"Of course daddy" Rogue smiled again.

Richard eyed them one final time before embracing his daughter again. "Alright then sweet pea; Everything's ok"

Rogue sighed in content while in her father's arms.

Finally.

Finally she didn't have to hide any more secrets or worry about Emma spilling the beans. Finally she didn't have to walk around sad, upset or with caution about who was suspiciously looking at her or who was judging her based on her family issues. Finally there was no more tears, no more depression, no more worry, no more anything; she was finally free. Free to be open with her father and free to move on in her family relationship.

This felt good.

No, this felt great and she ecstatic about the very thought of her father's understanding. She haven't even tested the waters yet and got him into the nooks and cranny's of their relationship but just with the mere fact that he accepted, it made her feel like she was on top of the world.

Well at least she _felt_ as though she was on top of the world.

Little did she know that her whole little world was about to come crashing down as her mother rampaged through the hallways, making her way to the suite.

"MARIE D'ACANTO!!" she bellowed, loud enough to alert the presses in Uruguay.

Stopping suddenly in the middle of her embrace, Marie winced when she heard her mother's voice.

"Oh shit"

……………………………………….


	29. I'm going home

Of Jealousy and Love ch 29

Finally I come out of the woods. Hehe. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been at a writer's block and every time I want to write, well, other things have occupied my time. But the important thing is I'm here now and I've updated!! So enjoy!!

………………………….

Time stood still.

All Rogue could hear was the thumping of her heart, travel at the speed of light through her ears as her mother stampeded down the hallway.

There were certain times in life when one could tell that grave danger or death was approaching, and every millisecond ticked by for eons and every surrounding action moved at a snails pace. It was a time where one couldn't think, couldn't breathe, and all the dire consequences of getting caught flashed through ones eyes.

That's what Marie felt right now.

Her whole body seemed to tense up and pause.

She was completely oblivious to Scott's panic, her father's warning to quickly hide in the bathroom, and any other attempt to snap her out of her trance.

She was only brought back into reality when her mother opened the door.

"MARIE D'ACANTO!!!"

Finally she could breathe again, but she wasn't sure she wanted to. Her breath came out in a short gasp and without thinking she clutched onto Scott in fear, only to let go when she realized this wasn't the best of ideas.

Her mother saw this.

"Mother—"

"So this is it huh?" her mother began, stepping into the room as calmly as she could and not bothering to close the door. "This is why you choose to stay in this dump?"

"Mother it's not what you think" Oh she was afraid; she was very afraid. Never in her life had she seen her mother so angry. Never in her life had she seen her mother so furious that she looked like she was almost….crazed. If there was ever a time to stand up to her or provoke her, now was not the time. Bethany was so livid right now, there was no telling what she would do.

"Not what ah think?" she asked. "You're locked in a room with you're teacher and it's not what ah think!"

"Mom—"

"No excuses Marie! Ah don't even wanna' begin to think of what possible excuses ya could have for this! How dare ya! How dare ya do something like this!"

"Mom—"

"AH SAID NO EXCUSES!!!" she boomed. "Ah just…..Ah just can't believe ya Marie. All weekend long ya bitch and whine and groan about your father and Ah lying to ya; your father and _ah_ hiding secrets from ya'. Then ya' go and hide this?"

"Mom, I love him!"

POW! Another blow to the heart. She swore as the seconds marched on she was only making this worse for herself.

Her mother could only take a step back and clutch a hand to her heart when these putrid words fell onto her ears. Again she couldn't believe it.

"Excuse meh?" she asked quietly.

Rogue was crying now, tears of sadness and fear rolling down her cheeks. "Mom, I said I love him." She repeated. She sniffled into her sleeve as the tears kept flowing and her mother remained silent.

"I know this is a shock to you mom and I'm sorry I had to hide it but I love him, I love him with all my heart and I want to be with him and I have to stay here and—"

Rogue never got the chance to finish.

Fresh skin colliding with her cheek never gave her the chance and she could only stand there frozen like a statue afterwards, slowly brining a hand to her cheek at the bruise beginning to form.

"Hey!" Scott cried, fury beginning to build within him. He didn't care who it was talking to her, but _nobody_ laid a hand on his girlfriend.

Richard paused Scott from confronting his ex-wife, knowing a reprimanding from him would only upset her more but it was needless to say that he was just as angry at her for hitting Rogue than Scott was. In all their years of raising their daughter, they had _never_ lay a finger on her, until this day.

"Bethany" he gasped but she ignored him.

Stepping slowly toward her daughter, who still held her cheek, Bethany forced her to look her in the eyes. "You are a _whore_." She spat, saying those words like they were a deadly poison. "Words cannot describe how ashamed of you ah am" she continued.

Rogue's mouth twitched in anger; her fear was quickly shifting into fury and it was rising at dangerous levels.

"You've shamed your name, you've shamed your family, you've shamed yourself and I am _disgusted_ at how I've raised such a filthy _slut!—_"

SLAP!

Another blow to the face. But this time it wasn't Rouge's.

Taking a step back from the rather hard hit, Bethany looked in fear and astonishment of what her daughter did and Scott quickly pulled Rogue away before she could do more damage. This was turning out way worse than any of them could have ever expected.

"Rogue please" he begged. "Don't—"

"I am not a whore mom!" she yelled, pulling free of her boyfriends grasp and towering over her mother. "I'm not a whore, I'm not a slut and you _never_ raised me! You disowned me when I was a mutant, you hated me, you spited me and you're an awful mother! You're a bad woman mom; you're a _bitch!_"

"Marie!" it was her father's turn to cut in now, disgusted by his daughters cruel words, even if it was directed at someone who deserved it. Respect was a very important value in his eyes and he would see none of it misused from his own daughter.

Unfazed by her cruelty, Mrs. D'Acanto pulled herself together and out of her shock and calmly readjusted her blouse and her purse. This was getting out of hand; it was time to show Rogue who was boss in this family.

"You're right" she admitted quietly, staring her daughter down. "Ah didn't raise ya." She said. "Ah would never succumb ta raising such disrespectful whore like ya' self."

Again Rogue could feel her fury rising.

"This damn school is what turned ya inta' the demon that ya are know. This school is what shaped your disgusting habits you developed."

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"You—"

"Ah'm not finished yet" Bethany spat through clenched teeth. "Now if you love this man so much and if you give a rat's ass about this school than ya' stay; ah don't care. Just know that _ah feel_ that's it's ma duty ta let the other parents know, what they're kids are getting into."

Turning around and beginning to exit the room, Rogue stopped her.

"Mom!"

She paused in the doorway, turning her head to look at her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Ah already told ya'." She said. "I need ta' have a talk with your dean"

……………………..

By now the assembly and the children's play were over and the atmosphere moved to an outdoor picnic on the mansions grounds; the last activity for the day until registration took place and goodbyes were said.

Emma had already left once she saw that her damage was done and she could safely ease-drop from afar and the mood seemed to shift into a relieved one, making space for anxious free quality time with the students and parents.

But for some that just wasn't the case anymore.

While outside in the pool area, Jean and the professor sat down and had a long talk about what she did and why she felt the need to do it and though utterly disappointed with her, Xavier decided not to renege her position at the school. The two reasons being, it was far too late to find someone to replace her as head of the Science department, clinic and co-leader and trainer in the X-man field, and, he always felt the need to give someone a second chance.

Though he did caution her that her position was hanging on by a thread and it would take a lot of doing to rebuild the trust they once had he also informed her that her only punishment would be to deal with all the consequences of what she's done all on her own, and he would have no part in helping her.

Graciously accepting his terms and conditions, Jean began by apologizing first to him for all she's caused and disappeared off into the abyss of people to begin her promise to the professor of doing better.

And now that that's been lifted off of his shoulders and Emma was gone, it only left for one more thing for the professor to worry about; Rogue and Scott.

While speaking to Jean he had heard Bethany's roars and stomps down the hallway into their room and he had felt the emotional stress dipping through extreme highs and lows between the couple and family both when they reveled their relationship to Richard, and when Bethany came to confront them.

He couldn't imagine what they were going through right now and he was scared of the consequences it could bring. He was worried about Rogue; worried about Scott and worried about where this would take not only their relationship, but the relationship with Rogue's family and Rogue and Scott's allegiance with the school.

Rogue and Scott were not only two of his best shining pupils, but they were also two very good friends; friends he enjoyed having as company, and he would hate to see one or both of them gone over something that was out of their control.

Thoughts of the possible outcomes plagued him as he sat under one of the tables at by the pool and continued to drown out everything around him and try to find out what was going on.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

A sudden voice pulled him out of his trance and Charles removed his hand from the palm of his hand to address who was speaking to him.

He smiled when he saw Storm standing there with a plate of food in her hands.

"Ah good afternoon Ororo" he greeted, plastering on the warmest smile he could muster. "Beautiful day outside isn't it?" he asked, looking around at the pleasure the beauty of the weather brought to his eyes.

Storm giggled. "Professor you flatter me" she said, taking a seat next to him. "But I can't take all the credit, the beautiful flowers are a special touch from Myra over there. She has an amazing gift"

The professor nodded in agreement. "Indeed she does"

Myra, the resident florist was known for using her mutation to make amazing floral arrangements, and today was no exception. Working in unison with Ororo's gift of weather manipulation, Myra created spectacular views of exotic and native flowers and shrubs that added to the beauty of the day and lasted a lifetime with the aid of the perfect climate. And today she really outdid herself. The blossoming tropical flowers, green bushes and plush leaves really gave the picnic it's creative edge.

"I brought some food for you" Storm said suddenly, placing the plate she brought in front of the professor. "Dean gets first pick of the day." She said. "And it's all your favorites too; Hanks' famous grilled chicken, my fluffy and delicious mashed potatoes and a fresh from the garden salad."

The professor smiled again. "Thank you very much Ororo, but I'm not too hungry at the moment."

Ororo sighed, setting down the plastic fork and knife as well. "Professor you barely touched your food this morning and you and I both know that if you don't eat properly you can—"

"I know, I know Ororo" he gently interrupted. "But you know how I get when I'm worried. The last thing I think about is food."

She sighed again. "I'm sure Rogue and Scott are fine; Emma's gone now."

"That she is, but the destruction she left behind is still here."

"Destruction?"

"I've felt Rogue and Scott's emotional stress rising and falling all morning, I don't think things are going to well with them; especially for Rouge"

"Did Emma tell?"

"I haven't eavesdropped on any of their conversations, Rogue has somehow found the ability to shut me out, but she must have said something to Bethany or things wouldn't be the way they are."

"Shut you out?" Storm asked. "I thought only telepaths could—"

"Rogue has limitless powers. Limitless, powerful and possibly destructive gifts that I clearly underestimated." He sighed.

"And that's why you're worried?"

Again he nodded.

Ororo sighed. "Professor?" she began after a period of silence.

The dean looked up from his plate of food; he was thinking about taking at least once bite of the chicken; no one could resist Hank's grilled masterpiece.

"Hmm?"

"Is it true what Emma said in the office this morning?" A look of confusion plastered on his face. "About you holding Rogue back from her powers?"

Again he sighed a hard sigh. This was going to be tough to explain.

"Yes it is true" he admitted, nodding solemnly. "I knew the moment she came to this school."

"So why'd you do it?" Storm asked. "Were he powers that bad?"

"They weren't bad" he explained. "Just dangerous. Rogue's mutation had been lying dormant for a few years before they manifested physically, and like I mentioned to her the other day, she doesn't need to physically come into contact with someone to absorb their power. From the time her mutant gene became active whilst lying where it was, to the time her power manifested, she had already absorbed so much from mutants she's met before but didn't know it."

"So you blocked the powers?" Storm asked.

"I did all that I could. Like Jean and Emma, I created a vast amount of not only mental shields but shields protecting her mutant gene as well. And during our sessions when I felt she was ready, I slowly began releasing them one by one, allowing her to progressively develop fully into her powers."

"And it didn't work did it?"

"It did, until her eighteenth birthday when she had that incident with Logan. I was going to tell her the next day about her dormant powers and begin to teach her about how to safely release and control them, but as the love square between her Scott, Jean and Logan grew and her parents came this weekend and added to the emotional stress, my shields were destroyed and her powers were released."

"But she's doing fine isn't she? She seems like she's handling them alright to me."

"Solely because only the surface of what's been lying there for all these years has been revealing itself. It's not too late to still teach her how to control them but I'm afraid if she continued being disturbed like this for too long, than all her powers will surface at once and well…….if not controlled properly, it could be fatal."

Storm gasped. "Oh my" she said, gently holding a hand to her heart. "I didn't know that there was—"

"Excuse me?"

A flabbergasted Mrs. D'Acanto cut off her sympathy and both the professor and Storm paused in their tracks.

"Mrs. D'Acanto" Ororo said suddenly. Oh God, this was not good; more incidents adding to their collection of unfortunate events. "Uh, how much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Enough to prove all ah knew about this school, that's how much ah heard" she snarled angrily.

"Mrs. D'Acanto please, let's not be rash about this—

"Rash? Ya think ah'm bein' rash?"

"Mah daughter has a condition that could be fatal and ya failed ta inform not only ma husband and ah, but her as well and you want meh ta not be _rash_!" she fumed. "What kind of school are ya running here?"

She was beginning to draw the attention of some of the picnic-goers, some of which were Hank, Jean and Logan who excused themselves from whatever they were doing to join the professor and back him up if need be.

"Mrs. D'Acanto I understand you're upset but please understand, I only did what I did for the best interest of your daughter."

"Her dyin' is in her best interest!!!"

Even more attention was brought over to them now and it was then that Rogue, Scott and Richard entered at the patio scene; they quickly rushed over.

"Mrs. D'Acanto, I assure you that—"

"Ah don't need ta' be reassured of anythin'! I've got all the information ah need to not only withdraw mah daughter from this school Mr. Xavier but ah'll tie ya up in so much allegations' ya'll be forced to close down this school by the feds!"

People were beginning to whisper now.

"Mom" Rogue groaned, trying to pull her away.

Bethany refused. "How dare ya! How dare ya' put _mah_ family through turmoil like this and how dare ya' not only risk the life of mah daughter but ya…..ya…. allow her to date her teacher!!!"

The crowd gasped now, whispers being exchanged now lauder than ever and parent on lookers suddenly rethinking their child's admission to the school.

Xavier however could feel his heart doing flip-flops as he sat there and took the verbal abuse. He was worried about Rogue and the outcomes of her taking the emotional distress but now as things began sitting wrongly with him, he was worried for himself.

"Mom!" Rogue scolded.

"Ya' should be ahamed of yourself for doin this to a sweet innocent girl! Turnin' her into a whore by allowin' her ta' be involved with this man"

She pointed and angry finger at Scott and rumors began to circulate.

"Oh my God, is this true?"

"I can't believe it, after all these years of leaving my child here"

"I think I'm going to have to reconsider my child's application"

"Me two, how could he let this happen?"

The whispers blew up into an all out conversation between the crowd and all the thoughts of concern and disappointment raged through Charles' head, stressing him out more. He could feel his heart pumping faster than usual, and doing an abnormal gyrating dance and it was beginning to cause him pain.

At first it started off slow but as Bethany's yelling continued and the buzz around him grew into talks of concern, the pain grew worse.

Xavier wasn't exactly sure, but he thought he might be having a heart attack.

Rogue picked up on this as her mother continued to go on. She wasn't sure how and she wasn't sure why but as she glanced around the area for any sort of distraction that might stop her mother the monstrosity, she managed to clear all the thoughts of concern from the crowd out of her head and the bizarre, rapid, pulsating throb of Xavier's heartbeat began to pound in.

At first she thought it was her own, as she was just as worried and panicked as the next fellow, but when she listened closer and she caught look of Xavier's face, slowly shifting into discomfort, she knew he was in trouble.

She suddenly gasped; she needed to help him.

"Ah'm going to write a letter, no ah'm paying a visit to the school bored and ordering they have not only social workers, but lawyers and police pay a visit to this….this…hell hole ya call a school! Never in my life have ah seen such ludicrous behavior!"

He could no longer hear her as the pain of his heart attack began to take over. Rogue saw his pain and knew she had to do something and do it fast; she was running out of time.

Her first instinct was to push past her mother and everyone else and nurse him and order for someone to call an ambulance but something internally stopped her.

An ambulance would take too long, and neither Jean nor Hank had the equipment in the lab to save a man from a heart attack.

Not having a moment to spare, without thinking Rogue tapped deep into her mind to find the healing power she knew she's absorbed more than once from Logan.

Having no experience in finding or transferring gifts and mutant capabilities, Rogue shut everyone and everything from out of her mind and concentrated on helping Xavier.

Finding Logan's capability just in time, Rogue transferred it just like she would transfer a telepathic message to Xavier, allowing him to get just enough to heal his heart without hurting him.

Meanwhile as the pain began to intensify, and Bethany continued to yell and cause a riot between the crowd, Xavier was just about to clutch his heart and collapse when he felt Rogue's help enter his mind.

He didn't know how to react except by allowing her in, and he felt time stand still as he allowed her to heal him; passing Logan's gifts from his brain, to his veins, to his arteries and finally to his heart, clearing the stress and blockage that was causing him pain and easing the cause of the heart attack.

Externally looking as though he was listening to Bethany, Internally he could feel himself healing second by second and when he looked up to gaze at Rogue, he could see her intensely concentrated look and a trickle of blood slide down her right nostril.

Now he was growing concerned again. Through amazed at how she was helping him, he knew she was using too much of her power too soon and if she didn't stop now, it could kill her.

Now feeling his heart, pumping at regular pace and working in better condition than it was ever working before, Xavier halted Rogue before she went to far.

"_Rogue"_ he cautioned mentally, stopping the flow of power he was receiving from her and entering her mind. "_It's ok, I'm alright Rogue; stop this before you hurt yourself"_

And that's when her effort stopped.

She gasped and her eyes shot open wide, before she took a step back, stumbling as she inhaled sharply and leaned into Scott.

Scott caught her before she could hit the floor, instantly putting an end to Bethany's yelling and the riot of the crowd around them.

"Rogue!" he cried in concern. "Rogue are you alright?"

He helped her stand upright and she caught herself before she fell unconscious, regaining her breath and wiping the blood that trickled down her nose with her sleeve.

More presented itself.

"Oh honey, you're bleeding." Storm said, quickly swiping the napkin that she set out for Xavier and pressing it to her nose.

The crowd watched in awe, wondering what had just happened. One moment Bethany was yelling and they were growing upset at all these secrets that were being hidden and the next moment, the girl of subject was nearly on the floor. It could have been that all the yelling and stress finally got to the kid and she almost collapsed, or it could have been that what Bethany said about the professor admitting she had a fatal condition was right, and she took now to dive in. But whatever it was, whether stress, illness or some other unknown cause, it left Bethany feeling nothing but pure guilt wash over her.

Recovering from the amount of power she exerted and the shock of how she managed to do it all, Rogue accepted the napkin and glanced over at the professor to make sure he was ok.

He displayed a look of concern for her but other than that, compared to about a minute ago, he looked absolutely fine.

She couldn't believe it; had she just saved him from a heart attack?

"Rogue honey, here, take a seat" Scott said quickly pulling up a plastic chair from behind him for her to sit on and taking the napkin into his own hands, holding it to her nose. "Are you ok?" he asked again.

"Marie?" Bethany suddenly asked. For once this entire weekend, her anger and resentment toward the school and her daughter vanished and true concern for her child emerged. "Are you alright sweetheart?" she spoke softly with genuine concern and brushed a stray stand of white hair from her face.

Removing the napkin from her nose, Rogue saw the true look of love in her mother's eyes and briefly going over what just happened, she knew what she had to do was going to be hard.

Concern or nor concern, Love or no love, caring or not caring, Rogue knew that her mother was relentless in attempting to get what she wanted; and what she wanted was for her to come home.

This whole weekend she's been bitching, groaning, picking fights, and starting trouble all to bring her baby home for whatever the reason may be and when she found out about Rogue and Scott, it certainly did not make things any better.

It was unfair for Bethany to do this; it was rude, uncouth, and downright selfish, but when she reflected on what happened today, she knew that despite the problems she was having with her family, it was unfair to drag everyone else into it and allow them to get hurt as well.

The reputation of Scott's career and Xavier's school was now on the line and not only that but the professor nearly had a heart attack because of her and her family issues. She loved Xavier. She loved Scott and she loved this school. None of them deserved to suffer because of something involved with her and she would hate to see the people and the things she cared for so much get into trouble because of her problems.

The possibility of a man's death was crossing the line at such a degree, it made Rogue realize, that to stop the madness and to bring everyone else out of the hot water they suddenly jumped into, she had to do something she really didn't want to do; she had to give in.

"Ya, mom I'm fine" she finally said with a sigh, wiping the last bit of blood from her nose with her sleeve and wobbly standing up.

"Rogue honey, please be careful" Scott cautioned as he helped her stand.

"I'm fine" she said, gently removing her hand from his.

She turned to the professor.

"Professor" she began. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you this weekend, I really didn't mean it." She apologized.

"There's no need for you too apologize Rogue" he said. He was still partially in awe that she healed him from his heart attack; but for the sake of the entire population of Xavier's looking on, he maintained composure. "There really isn't, all off this was out of your control"

"No it wasn't" she said. "I should have done what I'm about to do now from the beginning" she said.

"Marie?" Bethany asked, curiously. About to do what? What was she going to do?

"Rogue" the professor began. "Please think about what you're going to do before you do it." He warned. "You wouldn't want to—"

"There's no other way professor. Things have gone to far." She said sadly.

Turning to Scott, Rogue could feel the tears sting her eyes and she looked down at his shoes, not mustering up the courage to look him in the eyes.

Her heart said stop but her brain urged on, knowing this was what was best for everyone else, including him.

"Scott" she began, sniffling before she had the chance to say anything else, and chocking back the tears that were rapidly approaching.

Tilting her chin upwards so she could look at him, Scott sadly addressed her.

"Rogue, what's going on?" he said.

A lone tear slid down her bruised cheek and a raindrop splashed on his nose.

He looked up and saw the once sunny clouds, shift quickly into gray; now he was scared. "Rogue please don't—"

She chocked back another sob. "No, I'm sorry I can't Scott. I can't do it anymore"

He knew it; he could feel it approaching. It was the same feeling he got before his first girlfriend decided to put the breaks on their relationship only this one hurt worse; this was the love of his life.

He could only hope she wouldn't say it, hope she wouldn't do it; hope she would just change her mind right now.

"Rogue….."

"We can't see each other anymore Scott."

It came out sudden and powerful, ringing in his ears and ripping his heart out, tearing it in two.

"We have to end it now."

This couldn't be happening; none of this could. First her mother finds out about them, shouts out for the whole school to hear causes and riot and now she breaks it off him? This had to be surreal, it just wasn't happening; he wouldn't allow it.

Letting go of her chin out of pure shock, Scott felt his own goggles fogging up with tears and his heart pulsated at the speed of light, anxiously waiting for her to crack up and admit she was just kidding; admit that this was all some sort of sick joke.

But she didn't.

She didn't laugh, she didn't confess, and most, importantly, she didn't give him one final kiss.

She just apologized, stared at him sadly, and turned around to face her mother, leaving him to stand there, crushed, with the same feeling he felt when he thought Rogue was dead.

He felt like he had lost her; and this time he did; for real.

"Mom" Rogue said suddenly, wiping the tear that slid down her cheek. She didn't want to look her in the eye, nor did she want to turn around and face Scott again, as she knew it would only make it harder. "Just………don't worry about Xavier anymore mom, I'm coming home"

Not giving Bethany a chance to react she made her way passed her mother and passed the crowd, leaving nothing but sad silence behind her.

When she reached the doorway to the mansion and turned the knob, she heard Scott call after her and it ripped her heart in two, just like she had ripped his.

"Rogue wait please!" he begged but she kept on turning. "Marie!"

She halted and another pang of guilt washed over her causing another tear to squeeze out her eye. Whenever Scott used her real name, it always brought a sense of joy to her heart, but this time as he said it with tone full of pain, it made her feel more guilty than ever.

"Marie please!" he begged.

Not having the courage to face him and explain, she continued to make her way through the door and inside the mansion and once inside and away from the stares of the crowd, she cried.

She hid behind a wall, slid down to the floor and cried.

And as she cried; it rained.

………………………………………

A longie but a goodie!

Review!!!!!


	30. It's so hard to say Goodbye

Of Jealousy and Love ch 30

Of Jealousy and Love ch 30

Hey there honey bugs, glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one too. Just a few more chappies and this story is finito. So enjoy and don't forget to review!!

XXXXXXXXX

She's never had all her things packed up so fast in her life.

Though sluggishly making her way to and from her closest and suitcases, Rogue's mother had no problem throwing and stuffing all of her belongings aimlessly in her bags and rushing her daughter so they could get down to the airport early enough to buy another ticket.

Rouge however, though acquiescing to her mother's demands, was devastated to go.

She felt as though it was the right thing to do and it was the _only _thing to do to stop her mother and save Xavier's from the trouble it was about to get into but that didn't mean that she wanted to do it.

She didn't want to leave.

In all her eighteen years of living Xavier's has been the only place she could really call home. It was more of a home to her than her own home is Mississippi. Here she met friends who cared about her, teachers who educated her well and protected her, she had a small environment that didn't judge her for being what she was and most importantly, here she met Scott.

Though their relationship was strictly professional at first, and there was nothing more than a teacher/student basis between them, after the incident with Logan and the time they spent together and the bond they formed, it was tough to leave him.

She cared for him, she adored him, she loved him, and she didn't want to say goodbye.

"Marie honey come on, we're gonna' miss the flight." Her mother urged, snapping her daughter out of her trance.

Rouge sighed as she made her way over to the dresser and opened one of the drawers while her mother busied herself in her closet again.

She chuckled at what she saw.

It was she and Scott's sock drawer. Scott's socks arranged neatly by color and occasion, and her socks just strewn in at random. She remembered the conversation they had about socks when they first moved in together and how she teased him because she was such a neat freak.

Pulling out her own socks, Rouge stumbled upon a picture frame hidden beneath the cloth and she picked it up revealing the picture Scott hid at the beginning of this weekend.

It was the picture of one of their very many walks along the park taken by Ororo and it was she and Scott's favorite because it was so natural and candid yet it displayed how much in love they were.

The thought of letting it go brought tears to her eyes again.

"Marie honey do ya' got everything? We gotta get going?"

She kept silent as another tear slid down her cheek splashed on the photo frame.

"Marie?…………Marie darlin'" Finally venturing out the closet her mother came across her daughter crying over the picture in her hands. She sighed hard as she took it from her.

"Marie c'mon, we don't have time to sit here an' cry over silly little things." She said, placing it downwards a top the dresser. "Now c'mon have ya' got all ya things?"

Sending a brief glare toward her mother, Rogue decided this was not the battle she wanted to fight right now so she just sighed, picking the picture back up and putting it on the nightstand, right were Scott liked to sleep.

"Yeah….I guess."

"Good" Bethany said, grabbing the load of socks she left on the bed and tossing them in one of her suitcases, zipping it up. "Now we can head on out to the airport an' buy ya' that ticket, I don't fancy stayin' here over night Marie"

Collecting up the bags by the door Bethany grabbed two in her own hands while ushering for her daughter to take the other two.

"Ya comin' hun?"

Rogue continued to stare at the picture.

"Marie!"

Sighing once more and wiping her tears, Rogue pulled herself together and turned to face her mother. "Yes mom"

"C'mon dear, were gonna' be late, grab your coat, it's a little chilly out"

"Yeah, I'm coming mom"

And after pulling on her coat and grabbing her bags, she took one final glance at the picture on the nightstand, before exiting the room.

XXXXX

It was time for the parents and kids to depart at the mansion now.

The picnic was over, registration was complete and now it was time for the parents to head on out, and leave their kids for another year at the boarding school.

Surprisingly, not much of registration had been affected by the events or new breaking stories of the weekend. Though a few parents changed their minds, most remained loyal to Xavier's and new parents decided that despite the circumstances, they'd give the school a try.

But loyal or not it still didn't change that fact that it was now time for saying their goodbyes and there were currently a lot of tears being littered on the floor and a lot of Kleenex being passed around.

The whole mansion was gathered around in the lobby and out in the front of the school, where the busses waited to drive parents to the airport, and hugs and kisses and snapped pictures with promises of keeping in contact all year long were made. All of the school was out there sapping up in the moment; all but one.

Scott Summers.

Devastated by his recent breakup, Scott just couldn't find it in himself to stand there and support the parents and children as they said their goodbyes and keep a straight face while doing so.

During registration he managed. He sat at one of the many booths and reviewed, signed, and accepted applications and his face remained solid; professional and friendly when need be, but poker face solid; emotionless and cold. Many of the residents of the mansion felt sorry for him, others were in the dark about what was wrong with him and dared to ask him about it; but he remained the same, and he refused to answer any questions.

Then when it came time for the kids to say their goodbyes, Scott made his disappearance. He couldn't do it; he just couldn't do it.

Seeing all the kids leave reminded him of how Rogue would be leaving with them. And knowing Rogue was leaving reminded him of their relationship being over.

He couldn't believe it.

He was in so much shock when she initially broke it off, he didn't know how to react.

Should he have chased after her? Follow her to their room while she packed and held on to her tight forcing her to stay?

Should he have argued with her? Let out his frustrations and feud with her about following the wishes of her mother until she caved in?

Or maybe he should have blamed her mother; cursed and screamed at the horrid witch until she understood and respected Rogue as an adult and let her make her own decisions.

He didn't know.

And because he didn't know he did all a person who knew nothing could do, and he stood there like a gaping fish out of water and let her walk away.

There was still time though. Still time to go after her, still time to get her back. But truth be told, Scott was scared of what would happen if he did so.

What would he say to her?

She already knew that he loved her with all his heart and she already knew that he definitely didn't want her to go, but she was doing this out the best interest of the school and out of the best interest of her mother, and he some how understood that; but he just didn't want it.

Scott sighed as he slouched in a vacant bench in the mansion's garden.

He remembered this bench. It was the bench they first talked on, right after Rouge got in that argument with Logan at the breakfast table.

The memory made him sigh again.

"You know if you just sit there wallowin' like a baby all evening your gonna' miss her"

Scott looked up from the ground to stare at the man speaking to him.

Well wasn't this a pleasant surprise; as always Logan was here to brighten his day.

He rolled his eyes and turned his back toward the Wolverine. "Leave me alone Logan, I'm not in the mood" he said, while loosening the tie around his neck; it had been a long day.

Logan however, scoffed. "Wimp" was his only remark as he pulled a cigar from out his jacket and sat next to Scott, digging around for his lighter.

Scott again sighed hard. "Logan—"

"What, can't a man have a cigar around here?"

"I don't want to smell you're tobacco infested cigars"

"Well fine if you'd rather I smoke in the house I'll just…….."

"Whatever Logan, do whatever the hell you want, just don't talk to me alright?"

Shaking his head in dismay at his rather snappy attitude, Logan struck the lighter to his cigar and puffed quickly, getting the flame going, before taking one long inhale.

"If I can't talk to you" he began after letting the cloud of smoke go, staring off into the wonders of the garden. "Are you up for listening?"

"That's still talking to me"

"Whatever, this is important so just tweak those big ol' ears of yours Scooter and listen"

Scott rolled his eyes heavily. "What?" he groaned.

"So I know this guy" Logan began before taking another inhale. "And he seems like a pretty composed character, you know? Keeps all his ducks in a line, wears crisp pressed shirts, is the leader of this mighty super hero squad, and is pretty anal about a lot of things most normal people wouldn't be but whatever, the bottom line is, he's an organized cherry fellow"

Again Scott gave Logan an eye roll. "Logan is this story about me?"

"Are ya' talking or are you listening?"

Scott sighed standing up. "Look Logan, this may be a joke to you but I don't find it funny. So if you don't mind I think I'm just going to—"

"Sit down Scooter, I aint' done yet"

Sighing once more, Scott sat down, despite his better judgment. He really wanted to leave but entering the mansion would mean a possibility of coming into contact with Rogue and he was still antsy about confronting her.

"Ok so this organized guy meets this unorganized girl right, and in the beginning they've got sort of a turmoil thing going on with this other couple, but the more they spend time together, the more they start liking each other and they grow to be sort of like this ying and yang type couple."

He took another inhale and exhale of his cigar and Scott relaxed under the haze of his second-hand smoke.

"So eventually, after hours upon hours of spending time together and kissing and hugging and loving each other in the public eye, they finally decide to move in together and make things more official."

Another inhale and exhale of Logan's cigar and another wave of relaxation upon Scott. He was slowly beginning to understand why Logan smoked.

"But then one day……the unorganized girl's mother comes into town, and she shakes things up for the couple. She throws insults here and snarky comments there and acts like a total bitch."

"Hn" Scott found himself absentmindedly reaching for the cigar and Logan let him have it while shaking his head in dismay and reaching for the other one buried in his pocket; he figured the poor boy needed it more than he did.

Taking the first glorious inhale Scott uncoiled at the stress that was relieved from the puff of the cigar. Although not a fan of cigars he had forgotten how much stress could be relieved from a little cloud of smoke here and there as it had been _years_ since he gave up cigarettes.

Just why did he stop smoking again?

"So eventually" Logan continued. "This witch gets the best of the couple and she winds up meddling into their lives and taking over, forcing the unorganized girl to move out and away from her love and come back home."

"Hn" Scott said again. He was half paying attention to the story as he was so engrossed in his newly rekindled smoking habits.

"And do you know what happened to the organized man as she did this?"

"Mmm, mmmm" Smoke, smoke, smoke, look at all that smoke. He wasn't sure if it was the smoke or if it was just him but the puffs seemed to be making kaleidoscope images.

"He just sat there, smoking on a garden bench while letting his loved one get away"

What?

That snapped Scott out of it and he pulled the cigar from his mouth, giving Logan a long, intense stare. The simple mention of one small sentence had brought Scott away from his stress-free haze and back into reality. Dear sweet Jesus, Logan was right; he was letting Rogue get away.

How could he be so stupid? How could he let himself get, "scared" and stop that from confronting her? He wasn't scared to confront her when she was livid with Logan; he wasn't scared to save her when Magneto's henchman took her away; and he definitely wasn't scared to face Emma around her and stand his ground as Rogue's loyal boyfriend. So what was the problem now?

He suddenly looked at the cigar in his hands shamefully and dropped it on the floor, putting it out with his foot.

Logan frowned.

"Hey, that came from a two hundred dollar box of cigars bub. You better—"

"You know this is all your fault Logan." Scott interrupted, standing up and adjusting his tie.

Logan paused.

"If you and Jean hadn't—"

"I know" the Wolverine said suddenly, forgetting all about his cigars. "I know Scott, and you're right; it is all our fault"

Scott looked at him amazingly; the Wolverine taking the blame for something? Must have been a cold day in hell.

"And I'm sorry"

Whoa, and an apology to? Forget a cold day, it was a cold week in hell.

"But that's why I'm trying to fix it now Scott. Don't make the same mistake I did"

Despite his astounding apology, Scott couldn't help but smile.

It was safe to say that Logan never apologizes for what he's done, nor does he care to even fathom a fraction of an apology; but in a time like this, when it concerned the love of Scott's life, and when he actually _meant_ the apology, Scott couldn't do anything by accept it.

"Thanks Logan" Scott said genuinely, with the first honest smile he's plastered on all day.

Logan groaned. "Yeah, yeah" he said, looking shamefully at the cigar Scott dropped to the floor and taking a puff of his own. "You're not gonna' hug me or anything are you?"

Scott grinned. "Not unless you want me to"

"No, I don't actually" he frowned and Scott chuckled. Logan soon joined in. "Hey, what the hell are you still standing here for; the kid's inside, she'll leave in a few"

"Right" Scott said, preparing to bolt back inside the mansion but once again he stopped to give Logan a thankful smile.

"Thanks again Logan" he said with the utmost gratitude. "Really, thank you"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit your yammerin' and get going Scooter"

Scott smiled one final time before running inside.

XXXXXXXX

Rogue sighed as she set some of her luggage down in the lobby of the mansion, slinging the hood of her coat over her head to keep from being recognized.

It didn't help as much as she would have liked it to; a lot of the kids, parents and staff still recognized her and took the time to give her their stares of curiosity, but she tried hard to ignore them, and concentrate hard on the scenery outside, slowly being dried by the rain that once poured.

"Marie honey, Ah'll go put some of these things in car and Ah'll be right back ok; stay right here" her mother said and the young girl nodded, continuing to stare outside.

Walking off with a few of her bags in her hand, Rogue sighed as she sat promptly on one of her own suitcases, beginning to think about all that had happened today.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined her day ending the way it was right now; her singing defeat and being whisked away by her mother. She was almost sure that the day would end on a positive note; maybe a bit bumpy from the problems Emma caused but concluding with an "it could have been worse" attitude.

But it couldn't have been worse. The worst possible scenario had played itself out and now Rogue was forced to leave her Xavier family, friends, and the love of her life to go back home with her mother.

"_What am I doing?_" Rogue suddenly thought. Why was she leaving, why was she admitting defeat, why was she letting her mother take control? This whole weekend she'd been a spitfire; not following any of the garbage her mother mouthed and certainly not bending over backwards to make her happy.

So why was she now? Why was she allowing herself to be miserable and leave the most important person in the world to her, for her mother's benefit?

The question made Rogue contemplate going after her mother, grabbing her suitcases and unpacking at that very moment but when she caught a look at Xavier saying goodbye to one of the parents out the corner of her eye, she stopped.

Xavier had almost collapsed of a heart attack.

The stress of the weekend, the yelling of her mother, the worry of registration and the worry for her newly acquired powers had put too much pressure on the elderly man and he had a heart attack.

If it wasn't for Rogue's quick judgment, he might not be where he was right now, and in the long run, there might not be a Xavier's for her to think about staying.

She now remembered why her rash decisions to leave had been the best one.

Nearly brining a man to his fate because of her problems was more than enough of a sign to tell her she needed to leave; no matter how much she hated it. Even though the weekend was over, and all registration was complete and all the parents were leaving, her mother had been _furious_ about her relationship with Scott and she had no doubt in her mind that she would stop at nothing to keep them apart. Even if it meant calling the school board to come out and assess the validity of the school. And well, with the past invading and evacuation of the school by Striker's henchmen, Rogue wasn't sure if Xavier's could stand up to the assessment just yet; the school's credibility was already hanging on by a thread as it was and the staff was working diligently to bring it back up. They didn't need her mother destroying everything they were working hard for.

Rogue sighed again, plopping back down on her luggage.

She could feel the tears beginning to burn her eyes but she didn't dare let them fall.

She'd done more than enough crying for the weekend; enough crying to hold her over for a lifetime, and it was time that she sucked it up and face the facts; she had to go.

But her heart wouldn't accept it.

"You look like you need this more than I do"

Looking up from her concentration on the wooden floors, Rogue sniffled to see Xavier in front of her, warm smile present on his face as always as he held out a hankie to her.

Rogue sadly smiled, accepting it graciously and dabbing her eyes. "Thanks professor" she said.

"Rogue, I think you and I are close enough now for you to call me Charles" he said, accepting the handkerchief back and folding it up in his pocket.

She eyed him curiously. "Huh?"

"I know what you did for me Rogue" he said suddenly, and she looked down at the floor again. It's not like she hadn't expected him to know that she helped with his heart attack but it made for a bit of an awkward situation. What do you say after an event like that?

"You saved my life" he continued.

Rogue looked him in the eyes again and shrugged. "Don't think much of it professor." She said. "You've gotten my butt out of trouble on more than one occasion, it was time for me to return the favor."

"Rogue" the professor started. "What you did was more than just "returning the favor"" he said. "Not only did you save my life, which by the way I am so grateful for, I don't how I can repay you—"

"Professor" she sighed. "You already—"

"But" he interrupted gently, forcing her to stop her excuses and listen. "You came across a tremendous step in the capability of your gifts and you conquered it" He said. "A tremendous step that will be shamefully wastes with your decision to leave the institute."

Rogue sighed, again looking at the ground before gathering the courage to look him in the eye again; he still had the same welcoming look on his face. "Is this the part where you tell me what a huge mistake I'm making by leaving and ask me to stay?"

"I think you're old enough now to determine what's appropriate and what's a mistake Rogue, and I am in no authority to determine who stays and who leaves this school. The decision is entirely in your hands"

The answer didn't particularly satisfy her, as she wished he'd give some sort of remorse and sympathy for her and at least _ask_ if this was what she truly wanted. It's what he always did, and it always made her feel more secure about the decision she made.

Xavier sensed her disappointment and continued on.

"Rogue" he began, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Marie"

She looked up from the floor again and stared at him. Somehow it didn't bother her as much when Xavier used her real name. "Understand that it would pain me dearly to see one of my favorite students leave the institute" he began. "Especially one with as much accomplishment and future potential as you."

She smiled sadly.

"But although I can give you ten-thousand reasons why you should stay, and ten thousand more why I want you to stay, understand that this is not my decision to make. It's not mine nor your friends, nor your mother or father, nor Scott's decision to determine what's best for you." He said. "So please" the professor begged. "I ask that before you make any decision, you make it based on what's best for Marie" he stressed. "Not anyone nor anything else around here; just you"

Again Rogue smiled, embracing the dean in a hug; that was the pep talk she needed. "Thanks professor" she said while in his embrace. "Thanks so much"

"Anytime" he retuned, after she pulled away. "Whether it's in Westchester or Mississippi, I'll always be here when you need me Rogue."

She gave him another hug. "Thanks"

"Marie darlin' are ya' ready?"

Rogue sighed. As always her mother took it upon herself to interrupt something deep and personal.

Before she had a chance to respond however, Rogue's friends approached, looking between her mother and Rogue as if asking permission to speak with her.

Rogue sighed again. "Mom" she said, standing up from off her suitcase. "Can I have a moment to……….."

"Five minutes Marie" her mother breathed, staring angrily at the professor and Rogue's friends before softening her features when addressing her daughter. "I'll be waitin' in the car"

And with that she turned around and exited the mansion once again, leaving Rogue alone with her friends.

Pyro seethed after her. "Rogue, I'm sorry to say it" he began. "But your mom's a—"

"Bitch?" she finished for him and the flamethrower nodded.

"Yeah."

She shrugged. "Yeah, there's nothing I can really do about it though." She sighed hard. "She is the way she is"

"So it's true then?" Kitty asked sadly, using the tip of her shoe to scrape a scuffmark on the ground. She didn't want to look Rogue in the eyes in fear that she might start crying.

"You're leaving?"

Rogue shrugged again, feeling the tears burning her eyes. "Yeah" she said sadly. "I am"

Kitty choked back a sob. "Oh Rogue" she said and she threw her arms around her.

It was then that Ororo and Hank approached standing next to the professor as they watched the kids say their goodbyes.

"But you can't go Rogue" Kitty protested. "I'll miss you too much"

"I know" Rogue breathed, she returned the hug with just as much sadness. "I'll miss you too." She said. "But I promise I'll e-mail you everyday. "she said. "And call you every week and take tons of pictures and mail them all to you so I don't look one bit different."

A tear rolled down Kitty's cheek. "It's not enough" she said and Rogue hugged her tighter.

"Nothing is ever going to be enough" she whispered in her ear and the two finally detached. "But I promise I'll keep in contact."

Shadowcat nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"And what about me?" Jubilee asked. Rogue smiled as she embraced her other friend in the next hug. "We didn't even get a chance to throw you a going away party."

Rogue chuckled. "Yeah, well………"

Jubilee chuckled as well. "Promise you'll write?"

"Everyday"

"And share every bit of juicy gossip with me?"

"I won't leave a detail out"

"And buy awesome trendy clothes?"

"Only the best for you Jubilee"

Jubilee laughed, hugging her friend again. "Oh Rogue." She said. "You're mom sucks; you're too awesome to let go of."

"So I've been told"

The two girls sadly laughed again before they let go and Angel, Peter, John and Bobby engulfed her in a group hug.

Rogue laughed again. "Next time smother me to death why don't ya'" she said while fixating her clothes and they smiled.

"We'll keep that in mind" Bobby grinned.

"Yeah, if I ever decide to take a fly to Mississippi, it's smotherin' time" Angel said.

Rogue smiled, giving him another hug.

"Oh by the way, we got a goodbye present for you" Peter suddenly said, looking to the other guys to verbally remind them. Their faces brightened when he mentioned it.

Rogue's face crumpled in confusion. "You did?" she asked and they nodded simultaneously. "But how did you have the time? I only decided I was leaving a couple hours ago."

"Well" Bobby began. "It isn't so much of a physical present per say" he explained.

"Yeah" Angel chimed in. "It's more like what we _did_ that's the going away present."

Rogue didn't like their tone. She eyed them suspiciously. "Guys" she said. "What did you do?"

"We put poison ivy in Emma's suitcase" John replied with a grin and Kitty and Jubilee laughed. Rogue's mouth fell open in disbelief.

"You did not"

"Sure we did" John said. "Wanna' see the pictures?"

Pulling out his digital camera, John thumbed through the photos in which all four boys captured themselves pulling poison ivy from the woods, sneaking into Emma's room, and rubbing it on her clothes, mixing it with her make-up and stashing it between her suitcases.

"You're so bad" Rogue said, laughing at the pictures and the thought of Emma being a big red ball, scratching herself to death.

"Hey, no one messes with out friend" Bobby said triumphantly; Rogue hugged him.

"I'll e-mail um' to ya'" John said, turning off the camera and stuffing it in his pocket.

"That's great" she smiled. "If only we could see her reaction though"

Angel laughed. "We're working on that" she said and she smiled hugging each one of them again.

"Oh I'm gonna miss you guys" she said. "And your stupid little pranks too. Even if they are mean"

They boys laughed. "We'll be sure to save some for ya when we visit Mississippi"

She looked at everyone. "Will you really visit?" she asked.

"Whenever there's a mission, we'll breeze through and say hi" Hank promised.

"And on spring break" Ororo chimed.

"And winter break" Jubilee added.

"And every summer" Bobby promised.

"And every other holiday when were not forced to be trapped with our parents" Angel said. "We're there for you."

Rogue teared again, passing on hugs to Hank and Storm. "Oh, thanks you guys" she said.

"It's not problem Marie." Hank said, embracing her tiny frame in his large one. "Be safe, be smart, and do good" he offered.

"Don't you mean do well?"

"No; do good"

Marie smiled before hugging her former history teacher. "I'm gonna miss you Miss Munroe"

Storm held back her tears. "Oh, I'm going to miss you too sweetie. You're one of the best students I ever had."

"You're one of the best teachers I ever had."

"Oh" The weather goddess, squeezed tighter on the young girl. "Don't forget to write to me too." She said. "I want to hear everything new that goes on in Mississippi."

"I promise" Rogue said.

Finally letting go, Rogue inhaled and exhaled, looking around her circle of friends and making sure she said her goodbyes to each of them. Suddenly it felt all real to her and she realized that this really was it; she was really saying goodbye to Xavier's. Her only wish was that she got a chance to say goodbye to _him_, but she knew it would be too painful.

She pulled the handle to one of her suitcases in her hand, and wiped up the remainder of her tears. "Alright" she exhaled, pulling herself together. "I guess this is it." She said. "I guess this is goodbye."

Kitty sobbed while Jubilee embraced her.

Rogue smiled a sad smile again. "I'm gonna' miss you all" she said. "In my own special way, I'll miss something different about each of you, but I promise I'll—"

"Don't I get a goodbye?"

She suddenly paused and her whole world came to a stop as she looked passed the group to the man who was addressed her. She expected it to be Logan, always late for a hello or a goodbye anytime of day for any occasion, but when she heard his voice, she recognized it to be her one and only.

Scott Summers.

Rogue dropped her luggage. She guessed she spoke too soon when she said a goodbye with him would be too painful.

"Scott" she gasped, not expecting he'd show up for the soon to be painful memory.

Like her, Scott sadly smiled. He was a complete wreck. His tie was unfastened, his clothes were wrinkled, his hair had shaken loose from the gel, swooshing around like his natural boyish hair did and yet, despite his ruggedness, there was still something about him that looked dashingly handsome.

"Rogue, we need to talk"

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Review kiddies!!


	31. I love you more than life itself

Of Jealousy and Love ch 31

Of Jealousy and Love ch 31

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He pulled her into the student affairs office by the lobby and shut the door closed, giving the couple complete privacy. There was only one window in that office leading to the front of the mansions grounds, and only one door; the wood paneling on the wall made it difficult for any by passers to hear the conversation so they were completely secure; not a soul to bother them.

Rogue's heart pounded with each passing second that marched on, as she thought about any possible way to avoid this conversation. She couldn't do this; she couldn't put Scott and herself through the pain. If she was going to leave she just wanted to get the hell out of here and never look back. It was too painful to look back.

"Scott" she began, fumbling around in her coat pockets and pulling out her gloves. She paused at the discovery she made in the old coat. It was the same gloves she wore when she was banished from the house and the same gloves she'd be wearing upon returning to it; how ironic. "My mother's waiting outside and I really can't keep her there for long" she said, beginning to exit the room. "She'll get mad if I don't—"

Scott blocked the doorway. "Rogue please" he begged, standing in front of it. There was no way he was letting her get away; not this easy. "Please let me just talk to you"

Rogue sighed at the look on his face and felt the tears burning her eyes already. God, this is exactly what she didn't want; she didn't want to see him like this and she didn't want to talk him and herself into a crying frenzy.

"Scott" Rogue sniffled, lamely pulling on one of her gloves. "Please," now it was her turn to beg. "I can't…….I just can't do this. I can't see you like this and I can't………..I can't say goodbye"

A tear trickled down her cheek and Scott was there in a flash to catch it with his thumb before it hit the soft carpet. She looked up at him with sad eyes and he to her. "You don't have to" he said.

Rogue quickly pulled out of his hold, another tear trickling down her cheek. "No" she said. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't do this to me Scott" she sniffled. "Don't make this hard for me"

Scott gave her an unbelievable look. What was wrong with her? Didn't she love him? Didn't she want to stay at Xavier's? "What do you mean don't make this hard for you Marie?" Another tear fell when he used her real name; God she loved when he did that, and leaving it brought her so much pain. "Don't you want to stay? Don't you want to be here with me?"

"Of course I do" Rogue refused to look him in the eyes as she threw on her other glove. "I want to stay here for my friends, I want to stay here for the professor, I want to stay here for college, to become a T.A, but most importantly, I want to stay here for you Scott" she finally looked him in the eyes, which were full of tears. "I love you." She said. "So, so, much."

Scott gulped down his own sob. "So what's the problem Marie?" he asked. He approached her again but she took a step back. "If you want to stay, why are you leaving? Why are you letting your mother win?"

"Because she's right" Rogue mumbled.

"No, she's wrong!"

Scott's statement fell out of his lips in a startling yell and Rogue paused from her glove fidgeting to stare at him. It was no doubt that Scott was angry. Beating back the urge to hold his tongue and accept her parents all weekend had built up some harsh feelings; and now that things were going further downhill, he was letting it all out.

"She's wrong about this school, she's wrong about the professor, she's wrong about the staff, she's wrong about me and she's wrong about you Rogue. There is nothing wrong with you; there's nothing wrong with you being a mutant and there's nothing wrong with you living in this school."

More tears slid down her cheeks.

"Sure you might not be the ivy league, princess daughter she's always dreamed of, but who cares? You're not a whore, you're not a slut, and you've never done anything worth shaming your name or your family. You're bright, smart, funny, charming, sweet, caring, wonderful, amazing, and you're the girl that I've fallen, passionately and madly in love with."

He cupped her cheeks in his hands and Rogue leaned into it, letting his thumb wipe away her tears. "Scott—"

"No listen to me Marie. If you leave now; if you let your mother win, then you're justifying her actions and succumbing to everything she's said and done this weekend."

Rogue sniffled again. "Scott it's not that easy"

"What do you mean it's not that easy?" he asked. "Don't you care about me?"

"Of course"

"Don't you love me"

"More than anything"

"Than don't leave" he said. "Forget you're mom and forget your dad and forget everything that's pulling you away. Just stay Rogue please; I am begging you" he pleaded. "You are the best thing that's happened to me since birth." He said. "Everyday when I wake up and see you smiling it makes my day complete and when I hold you in my arms, it makes me whole and just……..just being around you Marie turns my worst day into a good one."

She was crying now, letting her tears flow freely in his hands.

"Please don't leave Marie; please stay if you love me"

She sobbed into his palm.

"I can't" she said, pulling his hands away and wiping her face but she was only met with more tears. Dear God she knew this would be difficult. "I can't stay"

Scott's face looked aghast.

"What do you mean you can't—"

"Scott I love you, so, so much." She said. "With all my heart and with every fiber in my body I love you, but please understand when I say I can't stay"

"How can I understand?!" he said. He was getting frustrated now; getting frustrated that this was so hard. He thought she was angry at her mother, at war and at wits end with her; why was she acquiescing? "How can I understand you leaving me if you love me so much? How can I understand you giving in to your mother if she's been wrong this entire weekend Rogue?!" He didn't use her real name anymore and it made her cry harder. "I don't get why you're asking me to understand something that clearly doesn't make any sense!"

"It's not just my mother!" she refuted, sniffling as she grabbed a tissue from off the desk and dabbed her eyes.

Scott stopped his rant when she snapped at him and listened intently. Not just her mother? Who else was pushing her to go?

"Who else is—"

"It's the professor Scott!" she yelled back. "The professor today he—" Rogue suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She didn't know what it was but something inside her stopped herself from saying anything further. Nobody knew of the professor's heart attack. Nobody knew except for her and the professor and she wasn't sure if he was ready to tell the others just yet. But more importantly than that, she wasn't sure if even that explanation would justify her reason for leaving to Scott. "The professor was ok now right", was what he would say; "and if you want to stay, than stay, don't let your mother win".

And while all this was true, Rogue knew better. If there were anyone who knew her mother better than anyone else it was her; and she knew her mother would stop at _nothing_ until she got what she wanted. Rogue just couldn't risk jeopardizing someone's heath, profession or life on the actions of her mother. And Scott just wouldn't understand that; he loved her too much to try to understand and he cared about her too much to watch her please others by making herself unhappy.

She figured it was best if she just left him in the dark.

Scott however, still lingering on what she started to tell him, furrowed his eyebrows together. "The professor?" he asked. "The professor is convincing you to go?" He could feel a whole other wave of anger wash in.

"No, no, no" Rogue softly yet quickly replied. She could easily see the conclusions he was drawing and there was no need to get angry. "It's just" she began with a sigh, wiping her tears away again. "It's just…..a complicated story Scott"

"Explain it to me"

"I don't have the time" she said. "I have to—"

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Marie? Marie honey are ya' in there?"

The couple sighed hard in unison. Leave it up to Bethany to further destroy damage she's already created.

"Marie honey we gotta' go, we need ta buy ya' that plane ticket." She fumbled with the locked doorknob. "Marie honey, open up. "

Rogue sighed again, ignoring her mother and looking at Scott. "You see"

"Forget about her" he said. He pulled her into his arms and Rogue refused at first, knowing it would make this all the more harder, but he held onto her, forcing her to stay and allowing her to slowly but surely fall into his embrace.

"Scott don't do this" Rogue cried in his chest. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be"

"Then don't leave me"

"I can't stay"

"I can't let you go"

Rain began to tap lightly on the window, once again mirroring the emotions Rogue felt inside.

Unfortunately for her, there was no silver lining around the cloud this time; as she knew what she had to do was going to be hard, and there was definitely not a positive note to look for in the consequences of her actions.

"Marie!" her mother pounded again. "Marie come out! We need ta' leave now! Marie are ya in there with that man?" The thought of it made her mother more upset and with realization that this was a strong possibility, she began banging harder on the door and wrenching the doorknob, trying to open it. "Marie!" she yelled, banging on the door again. "Marie Ah swear if ya don't open up this door right now!"

Rogue cried harder into Scott's chest and rain poured onto the window, mirroring her tears.

Scott tried to hold onto her but she refused, continuing to cry and pulling herself away from him. "Rogue please"

"I'm sorry" she apologized. "I'm sorry Scott, I'm so sorry"

"Marie D'Acanto! Open this door right now!"

A wave of thunder clapped outside.

"Marie please don't"

"I'm sorry" she apologized again. "I'm sorry I have to do this but I can't…….I can't stay."

"Marie!"

Scott could feel his chest tightening, his throat closing and a tear threatening to fall down his own cheek. It wasn't working, nothing he was saying was working. She was leaving him; she was leaving him and there was no stopping her.

"I'm sorry Scott" she said again, slowly making her way toward the door.

"Rogue no"

"Marie!"

Another roll of thunder boomed outside and Rogue let out a sob of emotional agony to accompany it.

"Rogue please, I love you" he said. "I love you and I—"

"I love you too" she interrupted, finally opening the door and coming face to face with her angry mother.

Dead silence dropped into the room as her mother glared daggers from her daughter to Scott, fiercely fixing her blouse with a huff and grabbing her daughter by the arm.

"When ah say it's time ta' go, ah mean it's time ta go" she snarled and began pulling her daughter out the room.

Ignoring her mother and never letting her eyes leave Scott's as she left, Rogue gave him the most sorrowful and apologetic look she could muster, showing all her love, sorrow and pain for leaving him she had in that one miserable look.

And Scott read every emotion.

"I'll miss you" she finally mouthed, right before her mother hauled her away and with that she was gone, never to be seen again.

Scott looked down at his hands as another clap of thunder roared outside. It was then that he noticed one of Rogue's gloves was still situated in his hands; it must have fallen off when she pulled away from him.

He sighed hard as he clutched the glove, sitting on the desk in the office and looking at the doorway just hoping she would return. Come back and run into the room, leaping into his arms and kissing him deeply, blabbering about how she couldn't go through with it and how she couldn't leave him.

He frowned when this didn't happen and choked back a sob as a single tear slid down his cheek.

He lost the war. He failed and failed miserably in getting his loved one to stay and now it was all over. She was gone; she was gone and he'd probably never see her again.

"I'll miss you, so much more Marie" he said softly to no one in particular. "So much more"

XXXXXXX

Aboard the plane Rogue sniffed hard, wiping her nose with one of the many tissues she was handed by the flight attendant and finally putting a stop to her tears. It had been two hours into the flight and she had been wailing ever since she left Scott at the mansion.

Despite her mother's harsh scoldings for her to "stop this instant", she continued to cry as the rain and thunder continued to follow them to Mississippi, causing occasional turbulence on the flight.

The only reason she stopped now was because she was pretty sure she cried her eyes dry but the thunder and lightning continued to follow them.

Rogue sniffled as she looked down at the one glove in her hand.

When she pulled away from Scott her right glove had slipped off, leaving her with one lonely glove and she was happy to know that Scott was left with something of hers to remember her by but at the same time, it reminded her of how she had left him and she could never see him again.

Rogue sniffled again, blowing her nose and crumpling up the tissue.

Dear God why did she have to do this? Why did she have to leave her love behind?

Oh right because of her mother; because of Xavier, and because her mother was an evil witch. She glared at Bethany as she sat contently, engrossed in a book she brought onboard.

How could she? How could she have the never to barge into the school, bicker and argue with everyone, announce her divorce, force Rogue to come home and now sit on a plane and _read_ like nothing was going on? Didn't she have some reflecting to do? Shouldn't she be second-guessing what she did and her stupid actions?

And if not any of that, shouldn't she at least comfort her daughter in her time of need?

The thought of that made Rogue cry again. She guessed her tears didn't dry up after all.

Hearing her daughter start all over again Bethany sighed hard, and slammed down her book; just soft enough to keep from drawing stares, but loud enough to grab Rogue's attention.

Rogue stopped her tears and stared at her mother.

"Marie honey" he mother began, digging furiously in her purse and pulling out a mini box of tissues. She pulled out a couple and wiped her daughter's face clean.

Rogue crumpled up her face in discomfort when she did this. She seemed to be doing it out of annoyance rather than comfort and she wasn't exactly gentle as she dried her tears.

"Don't ya' think ya' spent enough time crying' over that stupid school?" she asked, dabbing her daughters face one final time and balling up the tissues. "It's over now, you're goin' home an' back to ya' old life"

Rogue frowned. "Xavier's isn't stupid mom" she protested, turning to look out the window.

Bethany sighed hard again. "Whatever Marie. The point is, you've been cryin' since we left the school an' now Ah think it's time ya' cheered up. Your goin' home"

"How can I cheer up when I had to do the hardest thing in my life mom" Rogue protested; again loud enough to draw her mother's attention but soft enough to keep it in their row.

Bethany rolled her eyes. "Are ya' talkin' about that man?" she asked and Rogue rolled her eyes in return. Why did she have to refer to Scott that way? "Don't worry about him Marie, he ain't right for ya'." She said.

"You don't even know him." She whispered.

"I don't have ta' know him; they're all the same, those New Yorkers" she replied. "And besides, he was far too old for ya' Marie; and your teacher no less."

At the mention of dating a former teacher, a woman in a row across from them turned around curiously but after Rogue shot her a glare that looked like pure death, she turned around. Maybe it's best she minded her own business.

"He used to be my teacher mom, he's not anymore"

"And yur tellin' me, that nothin' happened when he was?" she asked.

Rogue sighed. "Yes mom, as hard as it is for you to believe, nothing happened when he was. We started dating _after_ I turned eighteen and he wasn't my teacher anymore."

"Well it doesn't mater anymore Marie, he wasn't right for ya'.

"How do you know that?"

"Trust me Marie, a mother just knows. Lord knows that he's 'prolly just goin' through some mid-life crisis, and needs a hot young pair a' legs to keep him company. They're all the same; those bastards" she said.

Again Rogue rolled her eyes. "Mom, he's twenty-nine, he's nowhere near a mid-life crisis and besides Scott would never—" she paused when what her mother said, finally registered.

"………………_.They're all the same; those New Yorkers"_

"……………He's prolly just going through a mid-life crisis and needs a hot young pair a legs to keep him company."

Rogue inwardly gasped, all the clues finally making sense. Her father was going through a mid-life crisis. He used to own a Mercedes dealership in Mississippi and he fancied shiny red sports cars. And her father was a New Yorker as well; born and raised in Queens but settled in Mississippi when he met her mother.

The only real thing he was missing according to her mother's accusations was a hot young pair of—

She gasped; outwardly this time and while turning to face her mother.

"Mom?" she asked. "Did dad cheat on you?"

They never did talk about _why_ her parents got the divorce. She had just been so angry when she found out and so angry that they hid it from her that she didn't care why.

That plus the fact that they argued so much led her to believe they just didn't get along anymore. But she would never have guessed in a million years that her father cheated on her mom.

Bethany stiffened, loosing her cool for just a second before picking up her book and opening it back to the page she left off.

"Ah, don't think that's any of your business Marie" she said, opening the book and pretended to read it.

"Mom" Rogue said, sincerely this time, gently taking the book from her mother's hands. Bethany turned to face her, eyes growing puffy and red and welling with tears. She quickly wiped them away. "Did he cheat on you?" she asked again.

Bethany sighed a hard sigh, feeling the tears returning again; she choked down a sob. "Yes" she answered wearily. "He did" she replied, clearly wanting to avoid the subject as she picked up her book again and continued reading.

Rogue was speechless. It all made sense now; everything; every last bit.

Her mother spent the whole weekend, bitter and reserved; calling her father names, picking fights with the staff and continuing relentlessly to get her daughter to come home with her. Off the surface, she seemed like a bitch; no scratch that, she was a bitch; but her reasons for it were purely out of the best for her daughter.

Truth be told she was a woman scorned. A woman scorned who didn't want her daughter to go through the same things she did. That's why she had fought so hard to bring her home and that's why she freaked when she found out her and Scott were together.

She didn't want her to go off and live with her father and her probable soon-to-be mother in law, and she didn't want some other man, especially an older one at that, to hurt her daughter the way she'd been hurt.

Rogue remembered when she was younger and her mother gave her "the talk" about dating and boys. She was fairly young; about nine to be exact, but her mother always felt that you were never too young or too innocent to know the truth.

_"Don't eva' let no man take advantage of ya' Marie darlin'. If he cheats on ya' it's out the door he goes, no second chances" _

_"What would ya' do if dad ever cheated on ya' mama?" _

_"Why I'd throw him out faster than a coyote can catch a jack rabbit hoppin' out his holet." _

Young Marie giggled; she thought it was funny when her mother made comparisons to jack rabbits.

_Bethany smiled and gently nudged her daughter as they sat on the porch, swinging on the porch swing and sipping lemonade on the hot Summer day. "But most importantly Marie, if ya' father ever thought to do anythin' like cheatin' ta' hurt this family, Ah'd bend over backwards and fight every legal ruling in the book ta keep you as mah daughter." _

_Marie smiled. _

_"A love ya far too much to let somethin' like that bother ya' life. Ah'd do anythin' Ah can to protect ya Marie; anythin'" _

_"Anythin' Mama?" she asked. "Would ya swim the Mississippi river for meh?" _

_Bethany smiled. "Absolutely; Ah'd swim it twice an' back before I let that bastard have ya'" _

_She giggled. _

_"Ah love ya sweetheart; more than life itself. And nothin's ever gonna' change that." _

Rogue teared at the memory. She couldn't believe she didn't think of this before. If hadn't been so full of rage at Emma and her parents maybe she would have seen what her mother was trying to do and maybe she would have seen that she really did care about her.

Sure she had been a bitch. But her mother was always a bitch from the time she knew her. But she had always been a spitfire and she had always fought for what she wanted; even if it gave people false notions about her.

Bethany really did love her daughter like she said.

Even though she ruined Rogue's entire weekend, even though she caused probably every soul in Xavier's to hate her, even though she caused the professor a heart attack, and even though she put an end to her and Scott's relationship, she did it out of love.

She did it out of love, she did it out of protection and she did it to fulfill her promise to Rogue. To fulfill her promise and let her daughter know that underneath it all, she loved her.

And in some crazy and twisted manner, Rogue understood that; and she respected her for that.

Rogue wiped away her tears and sniffled, leaning into her mother and hugging her, embracing her warmly for the first time this entire weekend.

Shocked initially, Bethany looked down at her daughter perplexed by her actions before softening her features and setting down her book, returning the embrace.

"I'm sorry mom." Rogue apologized, leaning her head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for everything."

Her mother caressed her head. "I'm sorry too darlin', ah shoulda told ya' from the start."

Rogue sighed as her mother stroked her hair lovingly and leaned her head on top her daughters, taking her empty gloved hand into her own and caressing it lovingly.

This is what she had missed. This is one of the things she had longed for when she wasn't in control of her mutation and this is one of the things that had pushed her to gain control. Embrace.

She had missed the relationship she had with her mother; the two were awfully close while growing up, and when she was kicked out of the house, it tore her apart.

But now that things were beginning to cross over into a healing bridge, she was beginning to remember the good things about her mother.

"I love you mom" Rogue said, looking up at Bethany with her head still on her shoulder.

Bethany smiled serenely; like Rogue the first time all weekend and kissed the top of her daughters head.

"Ah love ya' too honey" she said. "More than life itself"

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Well, well, well, a twist in the mother daughter relationship; bet ya didn't see that coming.

Anyway before I close the chapter I wanted to do a bit of publicizing for my other story, "Preparation for Baby Summers". It's a great story I promise you, with a bit of humor wedged into it and it just isn't doing as well as I'd like it too. I hope that you guys take the time to check it out; it really is a great story; one of my favorites in writing, and it's a Jott so, for all you Jott fans out there, I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Anyway, as always review this chapter and hold onto your seas because this story will soon be drawing to a close!

Review!!


	32. A favor for a friend

Of Jealousy and Love ch 32

Of Jealousy and Love ch 32

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"Alright class and your h.w for tonight is to complete problems one through sixty for the review questions, write out the short responses in no less than a paragraph each, and I want all your work shown and the reversal process to check your answer next to it. Failure to do so will result in ten points off so please, for the sake of some of your grades, show your work ladies and gentlemen" Scott lectured, writing the nights homework on the board and underlining it deeply in chalk before setting his chalk down and wiping his hands.

"You're assignment is due tomorrow along with your projects—"There was a collective groan amongst the students but Scott ignored it. "And with that said and done, class is dismissed."

As if on cue, the bell rang at that exact moment, releasing Scott's sixth period math class from the room, all of the students gathering their supplies and fleeing as quickly as they possibly could from the math teacher.

"Gee, is it just me, or is Mr. Summers going extra hard on us this year?" One of the students, Crystal whispered to her friends as she gathered her things.

"It's cause of that Marie girl" Janice replied, stuffing her notebook in her bag. "It's been two months since she left ya know; Mr. Summers hasn't been the same since."

"Marie?" Another girl accompanying them, Susan, asked. "Who's that?"

"Oh that's right you're new here" Crystal said, slinging her backpack on her shoulder. "You wouldn't know."

Finally having all their things together, the three girls slung on their backpacks and began to walk out, leaving Scott alone in his room.

"Tell me" Crystal asked. "Were you at parent's weekend?"

Scott sighed from the front of the classroom, plopping down in his chair and nestling his head in his hands.

News about he and Rogue has spread like wildfire and he couldn't believe the rumors that had came about from that fateful day two months ago.

Speaking of which he couldn't even believe it's been two months.

They were well into the first semester of the school year now and still there was no word from Rogue.

Well there was the occasional word. She did call just about one or twice every two weeks, and she e-mailed and photographed frequently to all the friends she left behind but her communication with Scott just seemed…….nonexistent.

There was one e-mail that she sent to him, two days after her departure; it was a lengthy three-page letter describing all her feelings for him and why she chose to make the decision she made. She explained how much she loved him, and how much she hated Emma, and how she wished things could have ended differently but she felt she had no choice; she had to leave for the sake of the school. Two days later when Scott showed the note to the professor, he confessed about his heart attack and how Rogue was the one who saved his life, and it was then that Scott finally understood why she did what she did.

At first he was angry; angry with her mother, angry with Emma, angry with Jean and angry at anyone who had any part to play in her leaving. But once he heard that she had saved the professor of a heart attack and she only left because she felt that the school was in danger, Scott's opinions shifted.

He wasn't mad anymore he actually….understood her.

He had to admit, had it been him in the situation, despite how much he loved and cared about Rogue, he would have left to. Xavier's had meant everything to him; hell the professor had meant every thing to him; he had given him a chance to start over and create his own life and start down his own path. Nothing was worth putting a man of such great value and respect in jeopardy.

But that didn't mean that Scott didn't miss Marie.

She had called and e-mailed everyone since she left, and the kids were even planning a trip to visit her when winter break rolled around, but when it came to Scott it was just different.

In her letter she described how hard it was not seeing him everyday or how hard it would be to talk to him and not feel guilty about what she did and she held through to her word.

When she was on the phone and someone asked to put Scott on the phone, she always made an excuse as to why she had to leave and it was the same when it came to Scott; he was always "busy with something" and he couldn't talk to her.

Scott sighed again, straightening out the papers on his desk. He had changed a lot in the passed two months and he couldn't help but wonder if she did too.

He didn't smile as often as he used to and he was directing and managing the X-men much more strictly than he did before. He ate less, drank more coffee, slept less and spent most of his free time grading papers or reading the news paper; never taking strolls in the park or visiting water parks and hotels like he used to.

The kids felt his wrath the most as he bombarded them with homework and projects and for the sake of their grades, they prayed to God that Rogue would come back but it never happened.

Ororo urged Scott to talk to her one night. She sat him in front of a computer with Rouge's open e-mail on it, and told Scott he wouldn't leave until he wrote her something.

At first Scott pouted; he said it was a stupid idea and he refused to participate, and there was no way he was going to just write her a random e-mail, especially when Ororo was standing right behind him.

But after 20 minutes of arguing and Storm being as stubborn as an ox, he gave in and just typed. Nothing at first but then heart felt as he got into it. It was almost as if it was a response to her three page letter (expect his was longer) and he found himself venting all of his depression and lingering love onto that letter. And before he could change his mind, Ororo hit the send button.

But she never wrote back.

That was three weeks ago and still Scott was back into the state of mind that he's been in since she left; depressed and lonely.

He got up out of his chair and began to lazily walk around the room, shifting the desks into neat little rows and putting the books back to their proper location.

When he often felt sad, he tried to keep himself busy buy reading, grading papers, or straightening out his classroom, but it was times like these, when he finished all his busy work and stumbled upon a photo of him and Rogue together, that he reminded of his sadness.

Scott sat at his desk once more, looking at the photo and tracing his thumb along the outline of Rouge's face, smiling softly at how beautiful she looked.

If he didn't look at the picture of him and Rogue at the park on his nightstand, he often forgot what she looked like, so he kept a picture of her at his desk so he could always remember.

God he missed her so much.

He missed her smile, he missed her laugh, he missed her accent, he missed her words, he missed how her body fit into his, how she sighed in her sleep, how she always smelled of peach and lavender, the ways he walked, the way she danced, the way she ate; he missed everything about her. And most importantly, he just missed loving her.

This Mississippi deal was not working out at all.

Suddenly a soft knock at his door interrupted him from his depression.

Quickly gathering himself together and placing the picture inside a drawer in his desk, Scott called to them.

"Ya?" he asked gathering his papers in a neat little pile.

At the response, the door slowly opened and in popped Ororo's platinum while hair, before the rest of her body followed suit.

"Hey there Scott, how's it going?" she asked rather perkily, bouncing on into the room.

Scott softly grunted and got up from his desk to erase the board. Ororo took his seat.

"What's "hmm" supposed to mean?" she asked. "Aren't you the same one who preaches to speak up when some thing is bothering you?"

She twirled one of the pens resting on his desk and Scott sighed. "I'm fine Storm" he said helplessly, wiping his board clean.

Ororo frowned and studied him curiously.

"You don't sound fine."

He turned to face her. "Do I ever?"

Now it was Ororo's turn to sigh and she got up from the desk to take the eraser from his hand and set it on the board panel, placing her hands on Scott's shoulder.

"Scott Summers" she began. "You've been depressed way to long my friend"

Scott sighed again, pulling from her grasp. "Don't start this Storm"

"Don't start what? Don't start telling you how much you've changed since she left and how much I'm worried about you?"

"There's nothing to be worried about; I'm fi—"

"No you're not. You don't smile, you don't talk, you don't eat, and you encase the kids with so much homework they barely have time for any of ours."

"Alright so I'll lighten up" he sighed, placing his papers in his sixth period folder.

"Easier said than done"

Scott sighed again. "Storm please" he begged.

"Scott" Ororo began. "All sarcasm aside, I really am worried about you; you normally bounce back so well"

"Yeah well….."

"Yeah well nothing Scott, I don't like to see you like this"

Scott turned to face her, giving her a straight look. He understood Storm's concern for him. Hell if he was an onlooker, staring at himself he could see how much he's changed; but she was right, he does normally bounce back to disturbances well, this one was just taking a little longer than usual.

"Storm I assure you, I'm fine really" he said to her and he could see her starting up another refusal but he stopped her. "Seriously." He added. "I know I've changed and I know things have been different, but I'm trying, really I am, and things will get better soon; I promise."

Ororo sighed. It was hard to argue with him when he threw in that little pity party rant, so she just accepted it and ran a distressed hand through her hair before pulling him in a hug. "I just don't like to see you this way, that's all" she said, patting him on the back.

"I know" he agreed. "I hate to see myself this way but I'm working on it"

She sighed once more, releasing him from the hug and getting up from off his desk, playfully punching him on the shoulder. "Hey you punk, whatta' ya' say you come with Jean, Logan, Hank, the professor and I for a staff night out; I just finished talking to Hank and put the finishing touches on it."

Scott crumpled his face up in rebuttal. A night out with two couples and the professor; didn't exactly sound like his idea of a good time.

"Uhhhhh, I don't know Storm—"

"Scott" she whined. "I thought you were working on getting better?"

"I am but…..I don't know I just don't feel like being out right now. I think I just need some time alone"

She sighed. "You've had plenty of time to be alone. It's time you went out and had a little fun."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't think that would be too much fun Storm"

"You don't even know where we're going"

He sighed hard. "Where?" he asked. "To a bar?"

"We're going out to eat, and then we'll see where the wind takes us after that" she corrected. "It's sort of like a goodbye thing ya' know?"

"I don't want to see where—a goodbye thing?" The ending of her sentence finally caught his attention. "Who's leaving?"

"Oh you mean you didn't hear?" Ororo said, again running a hand through her hair.

Scott nodded dumbly.

"Jean and Logan broke up." She said and Scott's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Jean and Logan broke up? When did this happen? And why? And who was leaving?

There were so many questions running in his mind he just didn't know how to react.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Supposedly, they were on mutual terms to end it; now Logan is leaving"

Whoa; this was big news.

Jean and Logan over, huh?

Things we're the same between the three since the incident. Scott could tell that Jean and Logan weren't as close as they used to be once Logan found out about her involvement with Emma and even if they were, they didn't show it very well.

Meals at the table were more than silent between the triangle of friends and the only conversation that ensued was general conversation from the others and the occasional "can you pass the butter please".

Scott was still angry at Logan, for the initial stealing of his fiancé at the beginning of all the drama and the incident with Emma for some reason only fueled his further dislike for the Wolverine.

He didn't know why though; Logan had nothing to do with Emma's arrival and chaos, or Rogue's decision to leave but something about what happened and how he was tied to Jean who was tied to Emma made Cyclops hate him more.

And then there was Jean.

The woman who cheated on him, left him for his arch nemesis and brought one of her own enemies into the house to brake up him and his girlfriend.

Words could not describe how much he hated Jean and how little respect he had for the woman.

It was needless to say that everyone was disappointed in her when she confessed to what she did. Everyone being the professor, Logan, Hank, Storm, some of the kids who knew, and of course Scott. But Scott was way more than just disappointed.

He didn't want to see her, he didn't want to speak to her and he didn't want to look at her unless he absolutely had to.

He was furious with her for lashing out her jealousy in the way that she did and now because of it; Rogue was gone.

A few days after the incident, right before the beginning of the school year, Jean had isolated herself from the group before making her rounds of personal apologies to the entire staff at Xavier's. Most of the staff had accepted it; grudgingly at first, but over time their relationships were slowly softening back into what they used to be. But when it came to Scott however, he was seeing none of it.

She came to him, three days after the incident, the day after he received the letter from Rogue when her leaving was still fresh on his mind, and she tried explaining herself to him, and tried to beg for his eventual forgiveness.

But he had none of it.

He ignored every single word she said when she came to his room that day and when she was finished with her rant all he felt necessary to tell her was, "You're dead to me", and he hasn't spoken to her since.

Sure the occasional danger room training or X-men mission required that he gave her instructions or debriefed her on her assignments or performance but even then when he was forced to speak to her he kept a straight, solid, poker face on, and he never looked her in the eye.

But he just couldn't believe that Jean and Logan were over.

In a sense he felt bad for them; they're relationship really stood no chance. It was started off of cheating and lies and it ended with the tests of jealousy and love. Making it through those types of conflicting factors was really difficult.

Then there was a part of him that was angry it was over.

There was a point in time when Scott really loved Jean; then Logan took her away from him. So he moved on and he came to find that he loved Rogue; even more than he loved Jean, and until the end of time. But then Jean took her away from him.

It seemed as though the two were out to destroy his life, and if they were out to get him, the least they could do is stay together; otherwise all that pain and heartbreak was for nothing.

The further thought of this made him more upset.

"Helllooooo, Scott? Anyone home?"

Ororo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to face her.

"Huh?"

"You alright there?"

"Yeah, yeah, uh….I'm fine" he said, gathering his things from his desk in his hands. "Look Ororo, I'll talk to you later alright; I've gotta go, talk to Logan about something."

"Talk to Logan?" she asked, watching him begin to exit the room. "What do you need to talk to him for?"

"Don't worry about it"

And with that he was gone, leaving Storm alone in his room, shaking her head in dismay. "Took the bait like a fish"

XXXXX

Scott found Logan in the garage tuning one of the bikes about fifteen minutes later, and he had a backpack that looked like it was filled with clothes and money off to the side. Cyclops couldn't believe it at first, when Storm told him that Logan was leaving but now as he saw him here, it was all making sense.

Logan looked a little disturbed as he screwed and tinkered here and there on the bike, like he had possibly just went through a recent break up, but then again when it came to the Wolverine, who knew, Logan always looked disturbed.

Scott cleared his throat, once he entered the garage, making his presence known in the area, and Logan looked up at him, a little surprised to see him there.

Scott and Logan weren't on good or bad terms, nor were they one neutral ones. Their relationship with one another just seemed non-existent after the incident with Rogue and her family, and they barely even crossed paths with one another.

"Well, well, well, look who finally came out of the cave he was hiding in" Logan said with a small smirk, tossing the towel he was using over his shoulder.

Scott frowned. He guessed no matter how disturbed the Wolverine was, nothing would stop that sarcasm from flowing out his mouth.

"You know I must say, despite how much this compliment goes against my sexual orientation, I like that 2 o'clock shadow you're dawning; makes you look like less of a pansy."

Scott rolled his eyes and softly rubbed the small stubble on his chin; he didn't shave everyday like he used to when Rouge was around; something about her being gone and not being able to kiss her lips and nudge her softly with his chin made him stop caring about the clean cut he used to carry.

"Don't have razors in that cave of yours huh?" Logan continued and Scott rolled his eyes again.

"No, I was in the same one you escape to when you run away" he threw back, nudging his eyebrows in the direction of Logan's hair.

Logan grinned. "Touché" he smirked and Scott shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

An awkward silence dropped between them and Logan decided to end it with his knowledge of why Scott was here in the first place. "So let me guess, you heard about me and Jean, and you're here to send me you're Bon Voyage blessing?" Logan asked, sitting on the bike he was tinkering with and looking at Scott.

Scott shrugged. Word really does travel fast around here. "Something like that" he replied, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I didn't believe Storm when she said it initially but I guess she was right"

Logan hmm'ed. "Yeah" he confessed. "There's nothing left for me around this place; Jean was fun while it lasted, a good screw too; but it's over now so it's time I moved on."

The mention of Jean being used like a doll got Scott a bit riled up. Sure he wasn't fond of her at the moment, and he and Logan actually shared something in common now, each of them having a relationship with her that didn't work out. But no matter how mad he was at the red head, he would never refer to her as a "good screw" or their time together being something that just kept him around the school. And he didn't like anyone saying that about her either; Jean didn't deserve that, as terrible as she was.

But for the sake of a civil conversation however, Scott kept it inside.

"Well what about the professor?" he asked "And the kids; it's the beginning of a new school year, you can't leave now"

Logan snorted. "It's October, the school year is far in session" he said. "And the professor understands, he gave me his blessing a bit of cash to get me by"

Scott couldn't believe this; here Logan was, doing wrong and abandoning his responsibilities and he was going to be just fine. But when Scott tried to do the right thing and live by the book he was now lonely and miserable.

"So where are ya headed?" he asked, removing his hands from his pockets and beginning to loose his tie; it was kind of warm in there. "Canada again?"

"Not this time, I'm migratin' down south. Heading to Mississippi."

The mention of the southern state made Scott pause from what he was doing to look at Logan. Mississippi? That's where Rouge was.

His frozen state definitely caught the eye of Logan and the Wolverine smirked, playing farther into the game he was already in.

"Mississippi?" Scott finally asked, recovering from his shock. "What are you going there for?"

"To see Marie" Logan answered simply, as he pulled a cigar from a pocket in the book bag near by and lit it up. "It's been awhile and I miss her"

Now Scott was beginning to get really angry but he was doing his best to contain it. His depression and sadness often masked the anger than was locked away from the events that happened but something about the crudeness of Logan was opening up the cage that contained it.

"So why don't you just call?" Scott asked, completely loosening his tie now and keeping a tight eye on Logan. He'd better watch his words if he knew what was good for him; Scott was getting angrier by the second.

"I already did and she seemed happy that I was coming by; truth be told I plan to do a little more than just pay her a visit"

Scott's eyes narrowed now and he glared as Logan exhaled a cloud of smoke nonchalantly as if his words meant nothing.

"Excuse me?" he asked. He could feel his internal temperature rising as if he was about to explode. Logan was not making him a happy camper.

"What's you're problem Scooter? She's single now, I'm single now, I've got nothing left in this dump and she's lonely in Mississippi." He said as he exhaled another cloud. "Besides, I've been doing some reflecting and I've realized, that it didn't like Jean as much as I thought I did, I think it was just something about knowing I had the power to steal a woman from any guy that excited me, so I went a few rounds with her."

Steam was blowing out Scott's ears by now.

"But Marie on the other hand; Marie is a different story. I've been crazy about that girl since the day I met her, and at first I thought it was a father/daughter type thing but then I came to realize that I really care about her"

"No you don't" Scott said through clenched teeth. He was cracking his knuckles now and was so far beyond pissed, he couldn't describe it.

Logan chuckled. "Alright Dr. Phil, you think what you want but I know what I'm talking about." He said and he inhaled and exhaled again in his cigar. "She aint' with ya' anymore and you decided to let her go so now I'm going after her; it's simple math. I figured if ya let her move back home you really didn't give a rats ass about her in the first place so it's fair game."

"Logan you better—"

"Don't bother with the empty threats Scooter, I aint' holding back just because I feel sorry for you anymore. I love Marie, more than a daughter and I want her to be with me."

Cyclops figured he'd better leave now. There was nothing on this planet he could say to the man that would either change his mind or calm Cyclops enough so he could have a civil conversation with him. Whatever Logan said was just going to drive Scott over the edge and make him do something he'd regret so he decided now was as good a time as ever to just walk away and readdress this later.

Just as he was turning around however, Logan had to throw in one last comment, that pushed poor Cyclops over the edge.

"Plus" Logan began, smirking as he extinguished his cigar on the floor of the garage. "I overheard from ice pop that our little Marie was great in be—"

That was it.

Logan never got a chance to finish his sentence for as soon as he uttered out the beginning, Cyclops whipped around and blasted the Wolverine, clipping the edge of his shoulder before ascending on him like the speed of light and delivering a hard punch right to his face.

Logan was startled by the sudden reaction and didn't have time to react as he stumbled to the floor and fell victim to the series of blows Scott was suddenly delivering.

Never in his life has he seen Scott so angry, and never in his own life has Scott seen himself so angry, but that didn't stop him from beating the crap out of the man who's only purpose in life was to destroy his.

Logan, finally gaining some control, pushed Scott off his and sheathed his claws, jumping up to his feet and standing in battle position.

Scott followed suit but didn't waste time analyzing the fight before jumped in and made another blow for Logan's face, hitting him in the jaw this time.

Logan retaliated by swinging his claws and slashing Scott on the arm, leaving three open wounds, and Scott hissed before coming back with another blow of his beams.

It hit Logan in the leg this time and the Wolverine grunted before delivering a round house kick to his enemy and that's when the two collided again, kicking, punching, swinging, slashing, blasting and all out beating each other until Ororo, Hank, the professor and Jean came around, pulling them apart.

Initially coming to put the finishing details on their night out, the four were stunned speechless to see the men fighting—especially Scott— and they wasted no time pulling them apart.

"Oh my God, Logan! Scott!" was Jeans cry as Hank rushed in and pulled Scott away from the other man who was currently working on trying to stab him.

"No! Let me go Hank! Let me go! I'll kill him! I'll kill him I swear!" Scott yelled, clearly outrageous with the other man.

"Scott stop it, this isn't like you!" Ororo cried as Jean ran to Logan to keep him away from Cyclops.

"Get out my way Jean, I'll give that pansy a reason to cry!"

He pushed her out the way and to the ground as Scott broke free of Hank's hold, the both of them advancing on each other like two cowboys on a southern brawl.

Just as they were about to make blows however, and serve it to one another once more, the men suddenly found themselves, frozen in their spots, unable to move a single fiber in their body.

"What the hell?" Logan questioned through clenched teeth, frozen with his arm raised in the air and a mean facial expression.

Scott turned his eyes toward the professor, who looked less than amused.

"Both of you stop this _instant_" the professor warned, his tone deathly and threatening. Never in all their years at Xavier has anyone heard the professor speak in such a tone and they knew that he was livid.

"Now, what the hell is wrong with you? Both of you!" The professor never swore either; he was definitely pissed. "Both of you, grown adults, out here fighting like children! And over what may I ask? A motorcycle? A ratchet! A girl! What kind of example are you trying to set for the children?"

"Professor, sir" Scott began once calmed down and clear-minded enough to address him. There was no doubt that he was still pissed, but being lectured by the professor made him realize how stupid he had been to let things get out of control. "It's not what you think, Logan he—"

"No excuses Scott" he tone was a bit calmer this time, but still angry, and slowly but surely once he was sure the men wouldn't attack each other again, he let them out of his mental hold. Logan nursed his shoulder once free of the hold and took to sitting on a near by stool as Jean approached with a clean towel to help him.

"I am especially surprised in you Scott, and I'm very disappointed" Xavier continued, watching as the other man sighed and looked at the ground; the professor was right, this wasn't like him. "Not just about the fight Scott, about everything, you've changed since Marie left, we've all noticed."

Cyclops cringed when he said this. The reminder of Marie's absence was not what he needed right now.

"And I particularly don't think it's for the better."

Scott sighed. "Professor I know, I have changed and that doesn't excuse what I did today but Logan—"

"I did what?" Logan taunted while sitting on the bar stool, spitting out a wad of blood that gathered in his mouth.

"Logan please—" the professor warned, but it went ignored.

"What's the matter Scooter? Upset I banged one of your broads and I'm going for the next one?"

"Logan!" Jean scolded but like the professor, she went ignored.

Scott was getting riled up again, just as he was reflecting on how he had reacted and how he could have made better choices, he was beginning to fall down the same path.

"I'd watch it if I were you" Cyclops threatened, hands moving toward his glasses to remove the deathly beams one again.

"Gentlemen please!" the professor said, his tone was increasing again along with his frustration.

Logan scoffed, standing up out his seat. "Watch what?" he asked, extracting his claws again. "You think I'm scared of you?"

BLAM! Off came his shirt as Scott clipped the other shoulder.

Logan grunted and nursed it quickly, allowing it to heal on it's own.

"Scott stop it!" Jean pleaded.

"You're nothing but a washed out kiss ass Scooter, with no one willing to leash you and make you their bitch so now you're all alone"

BLAM! Right off the claws; had he gotten any closer Logan might have lost a finger.

"You think I feel sorry for you! Ha! I only feel sorry for the girls who had to put up with your shit for more than a millisecond and pretend they liked you"

"Logan enough!" the professor yelled.

"You're an idiotic,"

BLAM

"Stupid,"

BLAM!

"Moronic,"

BLAM

"Son of a bitch, and I'll be damned sure, to make Marie scream my name when I'm banging the shit outta—"

BLAM!

Scott hit him so hard this time, that Logan was blown off his feet and into the motorcycle lying near by, as well as the shelf behind it.

"Don't ever, ever, EVER, talk about Marie like that AGAIN! Do you hear me Logan? NEVER!"

His face was red with rage and his blood pressure had reached an all time high; so high in fact, that he was surprised he wasn't collapsing in a heart attack right now.

No one ever spoke of Marie like that without paying a price, _no one_. And he was sure he was going to hold through to that threat.

Logan however, while lying in the midst of motorcycle supplies and on top of his motorcycle, only chuckled and refused the help that Jean was trying to give him.

This made Scott even more furious; how could he think this was funny?

"You know, you talk real big for someone real small Scooter"

Scott reached for his goggled again but he could feel the professor's restraints stopping him.

"What the hell are you talking about Wolf?" Cyclops settled for crossing his arms over his chest in stead.

"I'm talking about you and Marie, you dick. You go through all this trouble, bending backwards and jumping through hoops like a ring dog—"

Scott reached for his goggles again but the professor stopped him.

"And yet" Logan continued, beginning to get up. "And yet after all that work, to make her happy, you're still not man enough to stop her from leaving, or go after her and get her back."

Scott could feel his blood pressure settling, and his urge to blast him again fading. Was this Logan making a point?

"And your willing to let another guy, you're arch nemesis no less, go after her, and talk shit about her, while you sit her in a garage and kick my ass for just talking crap. You're a pansy Scott, you're a pansy and a idiot and you deserve to loose her."

Again Scott looked down in shame.

Dear God, what was he doing? How could he let it come to this? How stupid could he be?

Rogue was gone; Rogue has been gone for two months and he had done nothing about it. He let her go, he didn't talk to her and he certainly did nothing to get her back. He just sat there, and wallowed in his sorrow and let her get away and let the next guy go after her.

And then he had the nerve to get angry when she was fair game.

He could believe this; Marie didn't deserve this, and neither did he. He loved her with all his heart and he promised nothing would keep them apart; so he guessed now it was time he kept to his word.

Not uttering a sound, Scott kept his head to the floor and suddenly turned around to leave, heading toward the door and not looking back at the people behind him. He didn't have time to answer the questions he knew would come; he was on a mission to fulfill.

"Scott where are you going?" Storm briefly asked in concern, stopping him before he walked through the doorway.

Stopping in the middle of it, Scott paused, still looking at the floor in dismay but smiling softly as the answer brought a slight bit of happiness to his heart.

"To Mississippi" he replied, and then walked through the door.

As he left silence behind him, the other exchanged looks with one another as they tried to figure out what just happened here while Strom squealed in delight and Logan only groaned and sat back on his stool.

"EEEEppp! I can't believe he bought it! He's going to bring her back you guys."

"What?" Jean asked, going back to nursing Logan again.

"Jesus Christ Ro' that is the last time I do you any favors. You never said the kiss ass would blast me, those things hurt you know." The Wolverine whined, still nursing his healed yet bruised shoulders.

"Oh suck it up you big baby, that's what you have a healing factor for."

"Fine next time you and the fur ball _break up_ I'll tell one-eye to blast the shit outta you; then we'll see who's the baby."

Storm waved him off with her hand.

"Would some one like to explain to me what's going on here?" Hank asked. Poor Hank was so confused; first Logan and Scott were fighting, then Logan calls Scott names, then Scott claims he's going to Mississippi and now Logan and Ororo are speaking of deals? What has the world come to?

"Logan and I made up a little….well—"

"Lie" Logan offered

"No, not lie, fib" Storm corrected. "We made up a little fib about Logan going to Mississippi because Jean and he were over and now he wanted Marie."

"Why?" Jean suddenly pouted, sitting on Logan's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't like the idea of being his terminated ex-girlfriend.

"Don't worry Jeannie, I aint' really done with ya" he reassured, planting a kiss on her lips. "I only said what I said so the pansy could grow some and get his ass down to Mississippi"

"But why would you want that Logan, I thought that, you didn't like the idea of Rogue and Scott together?"

"I don't" Logan corrected, readjusting Jean on his lap. "But well………I know those two kids are crazy about each other and I know they were meant for one another and well……Marie is like a daughter to me…and Scott's well…..my friend"

"You're friend?" the professor asked, astounded. It seemed as though everyone was making revelations today.

"Yeah chuck; the cream puff is my friend."

XXXXXX

Review!!


	33. Take me home

Of Jealousy and Love ch 33

Of Jealousy and Love ch 33

XXXXX

So this was it.

After hours upon hours of probing for information, waiting in the airport and on the flight, renting a car and a hotel room for the night and dreaming up what he could possibly say to her; this was it.

Right here, right now, he was standing in front of the gate to her house, 786 Kentwood Avenue, staring at the old Victorian home.

He'd spent the past 24 hours, pensive as Socrates at work; dreaming of what he could possibly say to her.

I'm sorry, could be one; I've missed you could be another; but some how none of those phrases measured up to the amount of hurt, pain, withdrawal and deep down love that's been pent up these past two months.

He hasn't stopped thinking about her since his decision to travel to Mississippi. Not when he ate, not when he slept (or at least tried to), not when he showered, not when he changed; never. His whole mind was concentrated on seeing her, being with her and figuring out the right thing to say.

Scott sighed and looked at the house and all it's surroundings.

It really was an old house; his guess was it was probably constructed in the early 20th century and he was surprised to see that for it's age, it looked rather good; warm, welcoming and homey.

Fall was much more generous to the south than it was to the north as the huge elm trees encased in the picket fence surrounding the house shed marvelously colored orange, red and brown leaves to the ground, and swayed beautifully in the cool breeze.

The grass was a luscious green and there were various homemade gardens spewed in nurseries around the sides of the house, each filled with gorgeous daisies, petunias and baby's breath that still looked beautiful despite their wilting with the fall weather.

The porch swing rocked lazily in the gently wind and the curtains from inside the house flapped slowly in and out the open windows.

Scott really hoped she was home; if she wasn't it would not only would disappoint him, but discourage him as well for coming all this way.

Just as he was about to open the gate to the picket fence, a voice approaching him, stopped him from doing so.

"Excuse meh sir, what are ya' doin'?" It was a boys voice; a young man's voice to be specific, and when Scott turned to look at him he found that he was somewhat of a spitting image of himself when he was that age, only and a littler bit shorter and with a bit more muscles on his bones.

He looked to be about Rogue's age, possible a little older, and he had feathered brown hair and creamy fleshed skin, off set by dark black orbs and a young but mean face that told he meant business. That plus the fact that his face was accompanied by a puffed out football jacket to increase his muscular physique, made Scott feel like he was a no-so-friendly southerner.

Scott looked at his jacket as he approached. _V.I.P All star, class of 2004_, is what it read, followed by a little football, next to the engravings. So he was about twenty-something or so; he wondered briefly what he was doing around here.

"Oh sorry," Scott apologized. "I was just—"

"Standin' outside, starin' at Marie's house is what you was just doin'." He replied for him. "Look partner, do I hafta' call the sheriff? Cause' I will if I don't—"

"Oh no please" Scott said raising one hand up in defense. "I don't want any trouble, I just came by to see Ro—Marie"

The boy eyed him suspiciously. "I aint' never seen you around here before" he said. "Meridian, Mississippi aint' a big town; everyone knows everyone round' here, and I aint' never seen ya' before"

"I'm not from around here" he confessed. "I'm from out of town; an old friend of hers from New York."

The young boy sighed accepting the explanation; the mention of the city seemed to stop all further suspicions. Apparently New York was the Golden ticket around here; Scott made a mental note to keep that in mind for later. "New York huh?" he asked, softening up a bit and walking passed Scott, opening the gate to the fence and leading him up the pathway to the house. "Ya' must be one of her friends from that school she ran off ta' huh?" he asked, pulling some keys from his jacket pocket.

"Yeah, something like that" he said, following the young boy and watching in curiosity as he fumbled with the keys in his hand and used one of them to unlock the door to the house.

He opened it up and stepped aside so Scott could walk in.

Cyclops nervously walked inside.

The generosity down south sure was different than that of what he was used to up north. Here this guy was, opening up the door to another person's house and allowing him inside after less than a minute of knowing him; that sort of thing just didn't fly in New York; for all anyone else knew, Scott could be a mass murderer or a an escapee from a psyche ward.

"Um, I'm sorry if this is intruding or anything but, do you live here?" Scott asked suddenly, following the young man to the kitchen as he dug around in the cabinets for a few mugs and a couple of tea bags. "I don't remember Marie ever mentioning she had a brother"

The boy chuckled. "Nah, Ah don't live here; and Ah aint' her brother neither. Ah'm her cousin, Todd. Ah've just been commin' by to check on her since her mother's outta town; traveled up to Merigold on business."

Scott nodded as a response.

"It's ironic though" Todd suddenly started, filling the kettle on the stove with water. "Marie's never mentioned meh ta' ya' and she's never mentioned ya' ta meh. Makes me wonder just a little bit."

Now the suspicion was kicking in again; Scott hoped that this kid didn't think he was a serial killer after his precious cousin or anything. So he looked a bit scruffy around the edges today. He was dressed in jeans and a plain red T-shirt, with a light jacket on top and his once shaved 2 o'clock shadow had grown back into another 2 o'clock shadow, possibly a three o'clock giving him a scruffy, coffee deprived look. His hair wasn't gelled to proportion like it normally was; it was flying loosely as the wind took it, leaving him to constantly push it back and away from his eyes and his arm was bandaged up from the slash marks left with Logan the other day, along with a minor cut on the graces of his right cheek.

All in all, Scott would judge himself if he was an onlooker taking a gander, but for his sake, he hoped Todd didn't.

"Really I assure you" Scott began. "I'm really only here to see Marie, I don't plan to—"

"Nah, don't worry about it, ah trust ya" he said, setting the kettle on the stove and turning it on. "The only reason Ah knew ya' had ta' be one of her friends is cause' she keeps a picture a ya' on her nightstand; you an' a couple other of them kids from that school. Ah asked her about it once but she didn't answer meh; she just went inta' one of her silent modes; that's why I was wonderin'"

"Silent modes?" Scott asked curiously. What was he talking about?

"Yeah. Marie hasn't been the same since she came back ya know. Ah'm surprised ya' haven't heard about it since she spends most of her time glued ta' that computer of hers; figured she must be talkin' ta ya'll."

"No, we haven't kept in very good contact" Scott replied truthfully. "That's why I came to pay her a visit."

"I see, well maybe ya' can make her feel a little better; Ah'm sure she'd be happy ta' see ya"

"She's sick?"

Todd sighed, fidgeting with the mugs he set on the counter. "Ah don't know" he replied truthfully. His tone shifted from helpful to gloomy at the mention of Marie's health. "Ah mean naturally she seemed sad when she moved back, my Aunt Beth told meh it was cause she left a lotta' loved ones behind and cause' somethin' happened that weekend that upset her. But ah still haven't seen her cheer up since she arrived."

Scott listened intently.

"She won't eat nothin' my Aunt Beth or my mama cooks, she hardly talks to nobody, she walks around here like a zombie half the time, and if she aint' locked ta that computer, she's starin' off at those pictures a' hers or she's playin' the piano."

"Playing the piano?" Scott asked; she didn't know Marie knew how to play.

"Yeah, playin' that piano. But the strange thing is, when she's playin' it, she's sittin' there and the sounds is commin' out, but her hands aint' on the keys."

Scott's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah didn't believe it at first" Todd continued. "My mama told meh it musta' been a hoax or somethin', like she'd learned some devil's joke while off in the city, but when she was playin' again, ah saw it with my own eyes; the keys was movin' but her hands wasn't on it; it was strange."

"Do you think she's depressed?" Scott asked; it seemed as though Marie was going through some of the same things he was.

"Ah don't know; that's what the doctor said"

"Doctor?" Now he was growing worried. When it came to himself, Scott knew he was depressed; he could analyze and diagnose it for himself; and he was sure Rogue would be able to do the same. But if her family felt the need to bring in a doctor to help her out, something must have really been wrong.

"Yeah, my Aunt Beth took her to the doctor's about three weeks in when she saw she wasn't bein' herself. He was one of them therapists guys; supposedly the best Mississippi ever seen and he said she was goin' through depression but it was one of the worst kinds he ever saw."

Scott felt his heart skip a beat.

"He said people normally bounce back from traumatic experiences, and he said he'd like ta help if she could just tell him what happened but he couldn't get a word outta' her. It's like she's a mute."

Scott gulped; oh dear God.

"Then when my Aunt Beth tried explainin' ta him what happened, she got all flustered and puffy and the strangest thing happened. The window's of the office just exploded!"

It sounded like her powers were fueling her emotions, or her emotions were fueling her powers; either way, Scott concluded it could not be healthy.

"It was just as strange as when she plays the piano without touchin' it or when she sleeps and things in the house start floatin'. Aunt Beth says it's her powers from that school ya' must be from but my mama says she's cursed; like she's got the devil inside her or somethin'"

Scott sighed. "I can promise you Todd, she's not cursed; it probably is just her powers acting up because she's upset; it happens sometimes."

"Well yeah Ah know, ah don't believe everything my mama says; she never liked Marie to much since she found out she was…..well……different"

He nodded.

"Ah'm just worried about her is all; seems unhealthy that she's actin' the way that she's actin' and me n my Aunt Beth tried everythin' ta' cheer her up; nothing works."

"Where is she?" Scott asked. He looked up at the staircase located right outside the kitchen.

"She's upstairs in her room." Todd checked the time on his watch. "It's a little after noon so she might be nappin' but Ah'm not sure; do ya wanna' see her?"

"Could I?"

"O' course, follow me"

The younger man lead Scott out of the kitchen and up the old wooden steps, each one creaking under the weight of the two men. Along the wall going up the stair case, there were various family pictures of the D'Acanto family, dating back to the birth of little Marie, to a very proud and very braces filled picture of her smiling proudly while holding up a certificate that read, _Dean's list_. Scott smiled softly at the picture; this must have been taken a little bit before she came to the school, he remembered her wearing retainers when she first arrived.

When they reached the top of the steps, Todd lead him down the hall decorated with yellow and white floral wallpaper and even more photos of the D'Acanto family; her father seemed to be missing in a lot of them.

Todd stopped in front of the third door down the hall which was opened slightly with about a twenty-degree peak shedding light from the room.

He knocked softly on the door. "Marie?" he asked, pressing his ear on the wooden frame for a response. "Ya' awake?"

Waiting for a few moments, when he got no reply, Todd softly pushed the door open, Scott following cautiously in tow.

Cyclops could feel his heart pounding as he got closer and closer to being reunited with his loved one. His worries about what he would say to her seemed to vanish and a new anxiousness about her well-being took over. He was restless to see her and see if she was ok.

"Marie?" Todd asked once more as he entered the room. Scott stayed in the doorway and looked around. The walls in her room were painted a peachy-orange with bright white paneling at the tops and bottoms of the room and other than the border of flowers going along the center, the walls were bare. He could tell she used to have posters and pictures up as there were a few punctures and pushpin holes where they used to be, but they were taken down and shoved in huge box, pushed harshly in the corner of her room.

Her furniture was sturdy wood painted classic white and decorated with detailed floral markings and he could tell, like the house, it was probably passed down from generation to generation.

The window was open and the hand made curtains flapped carelessly in the wind, and in the center of the room, lay the queen sized bed, which contained a small sized Marie; even smaller than Scott remembered her.

She was dressed in a navy blue sundress with a decorative ribbon going around her tiny waist and even from something as loose and baby doll styled as the dress she was wearing, Scott could still tell she dropped some weight.

Her auburn tresses had grown down to her mid back and was tamed from the wind by a matching blue ribbon, and all she did was lay there in the middle of the bed, turned in the direction of the window and let the cool wind, hit her face, not uttering a word.

Because her back was turned to him, Scott couldn't tell just exactly what it was she was looking at; whether it was the out the open window, off into space, or the pictures sitting on her nightstand.

Like Scott, Marie had kept a lot of pictures bunched up on her tiny nightstand. Some were of her and her friends, some were of her and the professor, or her and one of her other former teachers, but the one that stood out the most, was the one of her and Scott. Taken at the water park they visited when they first started hanging around one another and featuring the both of them, smiling while sitting at the table next to one another, among the masses of junk food.

Scott smiled faintly as he recalled this picture; what an amazing day that was.

Meanwhile Todd walked in the room and around the bed to stand in Marie's line of vision; she sure was awake all right, but she was staring off into one of her trances again.

"Marie" Todd began again, kneeling down to her eye level. "Ah've got someone here ta' see ya'"

The window slammed shut as soon as he declared a visitor and the curtains seem to seal themselves closed, allowing no further direct sunlight to enter.

Todd glanced at a semi-startled Scott after it happened and gave him a look that read, I-told-you-so.

"Tell Caleb to go away" she horsed out. They could tell it's been awhile since she's spoken.

"Marie it isn't Caleb." Todd said, and at this she locked eyes with her cousin. Wasn't Caleb? Then who was it? "It's one of you're friends from that school a' yurs."

She looked at her cousin with the first human-like eye contact he's seen from her in days and she slowly sat up in her bed, the window slowly re-opening and the curtains beginning to flow once more.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice less scratched than before.

Todd nudged to the doorway where Scott stood and Marie turned around, stunned motionless when she saw him.

"Scott" he uttered out, feeling her heart skip a beat and her lungs miss a breath. She was in complete shock to see him, and he to finally see her.

The both of them just stood there for a moment, astounded and to staggered by how much each of them have changed to say a word to one another.

Scott smiled a nervous and weak smile when she recognized him and murmured his name, and when he looked at her he could see how much she's morphed in the short amount of time.

She had definitely lost weight, just like he could see before, but when he got the frontal view, it was visible in her face, chest and torso; she looked like she was sick. She was sans make-up and her face was saddened, suddenly sprung with growing happiness when she saw him, but he noticed what changed the most was her eyes. Forgetting the fact that her probably once dull eyes in the time of his absence were now reimbursing with life and happiness, he noticed even through his ruby-quart shades that the color of her eyes had changed.

It must have been an effect of her powers; he prayed that it had been, for her once chocolate brown eyes were now a piercing dark gray, almost the color of Logan's ones.

He wondered how and why they had changed to the color they were but it was all in the back of his mind now as all he could think about, was finally seeing her.

Todd watched the two stare down one another, a smile creeping up on each of their lips and for once he was happy to see his cousin alive, not moping around like a zombie and walking around the house like a ghost. He figured what his Aunt Beth had told him about this Scott fellow was really true; Marie really loved him, and it was just a shame they had to be torn apart.

"Ah'll give ya guys some alone time" Todd said, standing up straight and walking out the room. As he left, he placed a reassuring hand on Scott's shoulder and Scott mouthed a thank you to him before he was out the room, closing the door behind him.

And so the two were left to stare at one another again.

Marie had noticed how much Scott's changed in the two-month period as well. She was just looking into the picture she had on the nightstand and now looking at him face-to-face, it was a major difference.

He looked a lot more hardy and rugged since she last saw him; slight bearded shadow, non-gelled hair, casual jeans and T-shirt, and what looked like a battle wound on his cheek. It was needless to say that he wasn't the same Scott she left behind at Xavier's but whose to say she didn't like this new Scott? It was like a composed, and organized bad boy; the kind who knew his way around and how to get out of anything, not run from trouble.

She wanted to touch him, she wanted to hold him; it's been so long since she's had the chance to do anything of the sort, and she's longed to be in his arms once again.

Still without a word spoken to each other, Marie turned both feet over the edge of her bed and slowly got up, her small feet making tiny cracks on the wooden floor. Scott stood still and gulped anxiously, watching as she got up and approached him like a puppy would to another, curious yet excited to approach what could be the start of something new.

Her hair spilled over her shoulders as she walked, and her gray eyes locked in intensity with his, each step bringing them and their connection, closer and closer.

When she was as close as she could be with him, with her feet right next to, and parallel to his, she looked up into his ruby quartz and a tear slid down her cheek, Scott's hand quickly rising to catch it before it fell.

"I've missed you" he finally said, using that same hand to cup her cheek. Marie leaned into his touch and brought her hand up to touch his. "I've missed you way to much Marie; and I was an idiot to ever let you—"

Her lips suddenly found his own, stopping him from blabbering about anything else; and the two were lost in each other, reunited by the special kisses they once shared, and having all their sorry's, I love you's and explanations of why, hashed out in that loving and never forgetful kiss.

XXXXX

They laid on her bed for hours.

They weren't talking about anything in particular, nor were they rambling on about useless garbage. In fact, they weren't saying anything at all other than, "I've missed you", followed by a kiss, or "I love you", followed by a kiss, and the ever popular "I was so stupid", followed by yet another kiss.

They did this for hours, not speaking to one another, kissing each other, holding each other and reuniting the love that they new was still there.

And when Scott was sure he had her; when he was sure that she was his Rogue again, he suggested they move their little pow-wow down to the porch swing, where they could sit and enjoy the evening; Rogue happily complied.

Once outside, and once she flicked on the porch light, Scott took a seat on the swing and placed one arm along the back of the bench, signaling an open area for Rogue to snuggle into.

Once again she happily complied and she sat closely next to him, bunching up her dress under her feet as she sat sideways on the bench, leaning into his chest. He now placed his open arms around her and let his nose rest in her lavender scented hair.

Ah, euphoria; just as he remembered.

They swung back and forth lazily for a few minutes, still enjoying being reunited again, but as the minutes pressed on, Scott felt the need to address her health rising within him. It wasn't that he was not happy to be with her again and overjoyed that he could hold her once more, but he was worried about her not to distant future.

"Marie" he suddenly began, the first conversation opener spoken to her in hours. He picked his head up off hers and she looked up lovingly at him.

Dear Lord, the color of her eyes sure had changed but the love that was instilled inside them, still remained the same.

"Marie, I'm worried about you" Scott said, looking off the porch as an orange leaf spiraled and danced to the ground.

She traced his eyes and followed the same leaf. "Why?" she asked, and coughed and cleared her throat to alleviate the dryness.

He looked down at her. "That's why" he said. "You haven't been talking to anyone Marie; your cousin says you haven't been the same"

She turned away from him, not ashamed but uninterested in the subject matter. She knew why she chose to do the things she did, and though she credited Scott with being the type of person to understand, she just didn't want to have to explain it to him.

"I know I haven't; I was upset"

"Well yeah Marie, but there's a difference between being upset and being clinically depressed."

"Scott can we not talk about this?"

She could feel her anger rising inside from the judgmental conclusions of that stupid doctor and his stupid employees. She was not a lab rat to be studied, nor was she an insane patient to be fed medication to like a homeless junkie; she knew she was fine and she knew what she was going through; not him.

Scott felt the tension rise by the tone of her voice and he tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Hey" he said softer this time; he didn't want to upset her. "I'm just worried about you alright? I just want to make sure you're ok"

"Everyone's worried about me Scott." She shook out of his hold and laid her head back on his chest. "Everyone's worried about me in regards to what happened the weekend I left and that's all they ever ask about, and that's all they ever _assume_ is wrong with me. They never ask what's really wrong."

Scott thought about this for a moment before looking down at her. She felt his stare on him and looked back up.

"What's really wrong with you Rogue?"

Marie sighed.

"Everything" she said. Scott rubbed her shoulder. "You know, I have _no one_ to talk to out here Scott; _no one._ All my old friends think I'm a freak, Caleb only wants to go out with me again, me and my mom are still working on patching things up and the rest of my family thinks I'm the devil's child."

"What about Todd?" Scott asked as Marie sat up Indian style and turned on the bench to face him. "He seems to care"

Marie sighed. "Yeah Todd cares but it's not the same; he'll never get it like anyone at the school would"

"So it's the school you're missing?"

She sighed again. "No" she replied, twiddling her thumbs a little. "Well it's something like that I suppose"

She seemed like she was having a hard time explaining it to him and Scott wanted her to open up; he wanted her to be ok.

"It's alright Marie" he comforted. "You can tell me"

Marie inhaled and exhaled an intake of breath.

"It's just not easy Scott" she admitted looking down at her lap before looking back up at him. "It's not easy when everyone thinks you're a freak and there's no one around to help you when you need it most."

"They treat you differently down here?"

Marie scoffed. "Do they? This is Meridian, Mississippi, one of the smallest towns in the entire state; everyone knows everyone around here and everyone knows why I got kicked out the house."

He ran a hand through her hair in comfort.

"And now that I'm back it's like the prostitute that's returned from jail; they just treat me different. They stare at me where ever I go; they follow me when I shop at the grocery store, they whisper about me and talk about me at all the outings I've been to with my mom and I'm an outcast in church."

"I'm sorry Marie" he said, cupping her cheeks again.

"And then there's my powers"

"Powers?" Cyclops asked suddenly. He let go of her cheeks to give her another concerned look. "What's wrong with your powers? Are you hurt? Are you ok? Did you—"

"No I haven't taken anyone's powers" she answered before he could ask. "At least not by touching them I haven't."

He sighed a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn't back to square one again; that would bring her too much emotional pain.

"But it's just that over time I've absorbed so much— just as the professor said — and it's hard to contain it all; all of it seems to be rushing out at once."

"Like what?" Scott asked. "What other abilities have you gained?"

"Look at my eyes Scott" Rogue pointed out, looking through his goggles and straight into his eyes. "Two weeks ago I gained the ability to look nocturnally and internally to chosen objects and it shifted the color of my eyes. It took forever to convince my mom I wasn't blind"

He sighed a hardy sigh.

"My telepathy has been increasing, I keep hearing everyone's thoughts and emotions and worries and insecurities; I have this unsteady ability for telekinesis and things move without my controlling them to; I phase through my bed a few times at night; sometimes fire ignites in my hand, followed by an ice ball to cool it off and it's just…….all so frustrating Scott." She confessed. "And there's no one to talk to that understands what I'm going through"

"What about your mom?" he asked, stroking her hair again. "Didn't you say you two were patching things up?"

She sighed. "Yeah we're patching things up, but our relationship isn't at the point where I can talk to her about that kind of stuff. As a matter of fact she's a little weirded out that I have all these abilities and I can't contain them. Todd's the only one who really gets it and tries to help me out."

"Todd?" Scott asked, and he peaked inside the open kitchen window to see the man fixing dinner. "Hey is your cousin a……….well you know……one of us?" Todd seemed very understanding and very considerate for Rogue and the problems she had going on with her and he was awfully nice to a particularly jagged looking Scott with ruby red goggles. It could have just been southern hospitality but Scott linked it to something more.

And by the way Rogue smiled when he asked this, he assumed he was right.

"If you call him Mr. Fantastic when he's not looking, his smile grows about ten times the size of his face."

Scott smiled as well. "Mr. Fantastic?" he asked. "You mean like in the Fantastic four?"

She nodded. "He has the ability to stretch his limbs to any desired length or shaping; I guess that's why he's so short for a guy his age; he's like a ball of puddy. I like to call him laffy taffy though. "

Scott chuckled. Well what do you know; there was more than one in the family.

"So why don't you talk to him about it?"

Her light attitude suddenly shifted back into her sorrowful one and she sighed. "I don't know" she said, twiddling with her thumbs again. "Some how I just figured he wouldn't understand it as much as I hope he would. I mean sure he's one of us and all but…he's more amused with my powers than he is understanding; it's hard to talk to him about it."

"Have you tried?"

She groaned. "Uh, I don't wanna' try Scott. I want things to go back to the way they used to be. I want to talk to the professor if I'm having difficulty with my powers and I want him to tell me everything is going to be alright because he knows everything and he knows it's going to be ok."

He rubbed her shoulder again.

"I want to sit down and have sessions with him again, and just talk about…..stuff you know? And I want him to help me control it."

Tears were beginning to gather in her eyes as she continued to explain and a cluster of gray clouds formed in unison in the sky.

"And I want," two tears slid down her cheeks as two rain drops splashed on the panel of the porch. "And I want to talk to Jubilee, Kitty, Bobby, Warren, Peter and John you know? I wanna talk to them and I want to do crazy and stupid things with them because they're my _friends_ Scott; they're my friends and they don't judge me for what I am."

More tears slid down her cheeks and the small pitter-patter of an evening shower splashed and panged on the house.

"I want to sit in that ridiculously humongous kitchen" she chocked back a chuckle behind her sob. "And I want to eat Hank and Ororo's home cooking and Jean's famous strawberry milkshakes and have an ice cream with Logan."

She sobbed hard now and Scott watched painfully and stroked her hair; he didn't know what to say.

"God, I hate them so much you know? I hate that Jean started this whole thing, and I hate Logan for what I used to think was ruining my life." She confessed, sniffling hard. "But I miss them so much; I miss Jean's kindness and I miss Logan's protective arm when I need it."

Scott wiped the tears from her eyes.

"And I want," she continued, hiccupping and crying more tears as the rain beat outside the porch. "And I want……at the end of the day, when things are tough and I think that it can't get worse, I want to be with you."

Scott smiled genuinely.

"I want to be with you Scott, and I want you to hold me and tell me everything's ok, and I want you to kiss me and tell me you love me and I want you to lie down with me and dream endless dreams with me but—" she sniffed again. "But I can't Scott. I can't because I'm here and everyone else is there and there's no one here to understand that, and I just…..I miss home so much."

Finally she broke down and she sobbed into Scott's chest and he held her tight, just as she wanted and he whispered to her everything was going to be ok.

Poor, poor, Rogue was all he could think. He thought he was suffering badly in New York, the poor thing was down here being traumatized by all her new abilities and the absence of a comforting ear to listen. It was ironic she was so home sick in the place that was supposed to be her home and he figured more than anything she wanted to be where she felt most safe, comforted and protected. At Xavier's; her _home_.

Gently pulling her to sit upright again, Scott placed a soft kiss on her lips, followed by her for head, then looked her in the eyes. "I love you Marie."

She cried harder and the rain continued to beat outside. "I know, I know, I love you too Scott." She said amongst her sobs. "But it's just not enough anymore" she cried. "You're going to go back soon and I—"

"I'm not going back Marie"

Her tears stopped when those words left his lips and she calmed herself for a moment to listen to him. Not going back? What was he talking about? Was he planning on staying in Mississippi? Did he want her to leave home and live with him?

Oh no this would simply not do, Meridian\ was a small town; a small town with big rumors circulating and she could only imagine what it would do for her name if she moved in with a stranger that blew in from New York; that was the devil's state.

Maybe he wanted to take her away somewhere; sweep her off her feet and away from this house and drive away without looking back. Nothing but the money in their pockets, the gas in their car and the love in their hearts to keep them going. Oh that would be awfully romantic but she couldn't do that either. What would her mother say? What would her mother _do_ if she suddenly just up and left. She couldn't, she just couldn't; not after all they've been through; or could she?

"What do you mean you're not going ba—"

"I've made that mistake once Marie. The last time I was with you, and you were crying in my arms, I just let you go; and I'm not doing it again." He began to reach in his jacket pocket and pulled out two slips of papers encased in a blue holder with a plane on it. They were a little weary around the edges, and looked like they had been gripped tightly with a pair of nervous hands but despite their less than average Scott-like crispness, Rogue could still make out what they were.

Airplane tickets.

"I'm not leaving here without you Marie. I can't leave you again; I was stupid before for letting you go."

Marie wiped the remainder of tears from her face and nervously took one of the tickets from Scott before looking up into his eyes again.

"Scott it wasn't your fault that I—"

"No, don't care who's fault it was; I'm not letting you go this time Marie; I'm not leaving without you. And if you don't come than I'm just not leaving you; I'm not living without you again Marie; I can't do it anymore, I love you."

"Scott you can't stay here, my mother will—"

"None of that matters" he said, and he cupped her cheeks once more. "None of that matters at all anymore; I just want to be with you. And I know you're unhappy here; you're downright miserable and I've been miserable to and………….and I just want to be with you Rogue; come back home."

"This is my home Scott"

"No, come back _home_ Rouge; come back home with me."

Rouge looked at the paper holding case in her hand than opened it up to reveal the airplane ticket.

A one way trip to Westchester, New York. There it was, staring her in the face.

What a tempting offer this was. She was being given the opportunity to go back. To go back to the life she loved and the people she cared about. There was nothing left for her here; only a town full of people who judged her, a mother who half loved her, half feared her.

Sure she'd miss her mother a lot, and she'd miss her cousin too. They were just beginning to mend back into the relationship they once had, and things were slowly moving back to normal between them.

But she was just so miserable here; and no amount of missing could account for the level of pain she felt when she was away from her loved ones at Xavier's. Especially Scott. Xavier's was her home, no matter what other's thought. It always has and will be, long since she arrived or decided to leave from the school.

And most importantly, Scott was there; the love of her life and reason behind her agony in Mississippi. She missed him so dearly and nothing would brighten her spirits any more or any faster than being with him again.

"Rogue?" Scott asked. He swept a long metallic curtain of hair from her eyes and the rain finally stopped outside. Only large drops of left over rainwater bounced from leaf to leaf on the elm trees. "Marie?" he asked again when she didn't answer him; she continued to look at the plane ticket.

"Scott?" she finally said, the minutes of silence used to make her decision.

"Yes?" he asked hopefully. He placed both hands in her hair again and tilted her face upwards so she could look at him.

"Take me home"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well I was really going to end it here my pets, but something inspired me to do at least _one_ more chapter to keep you guys satisfied. I'm not sure what it was but whatever it is you can thank that special force because one final edition will be coming to a computer near you! Lol

As always, don't forget to review!!


	34. Tears of Joy

Of Jealousy and Love ch 34

Of Jealousy and Love ch 34

Well this is it readers; the last chapter.

It's been a fun ride and I'm glad I've had readers as loyal and faithful as you guys and I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much.

I write for you guys and to express my creative mind of course; so enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXX

"Come on Professor, please?"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"_Please_"

"Storm"

This had been going on for about an hour now. Scott left the day before yesterday and Storm was beginning to grow anxious about he and Rogue's status. When her plan was put into motion it was just set to get Scott to _go_ to Mississippi to see Rogue; the rest was all on him. She was beginning to worry that naive little Scott wasn't putting the pieces together, and was making a bigger mess out of things.

Thus leaving her to turn to the professor and ask him how things were progressing. But the old man wouldn't budge.

He said it wasn't any of his business of the decisions Scott and Rogue make and that he was sure in the end, the two would do what was best for each of them. But Storm didn't buy it, she had a hunch he knew something and she made sure to grill him until she found out.

Which included now, as the professor called the X-men and Jr. X-men to follow him outside to the front of the mansions' grounds.

"Professor _c'mon_" Storm heaved exasperated. She now understood what the kids felt like when they begged and pleaded for so long; it was really tiring. "How am I supposed to know if Scott's doing what he's supposed to, if you won't tell me?"

"Scott is a twenty-nine year old man Ororo, there's nothing he's _supposed_ to do; he can do as he pleases."

She sighed again. "You know what I mean." The weather witch countered. "How am I supposed to know if my plan worked or not?"

"You could wait for him to return"

"But that'll take _forever_, it's been two days already and knowing Scott he's probably managed to find a way to screw it all up. Please professor, just one little clue?"

"Ororo" the professor began. "If there's one thing we've learned in these passed two months it is that we should keep our private matters to ourselves and leave others private matters to themselves as well; wouldn't you agree?"

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The professor was right; they really did learn after the Emma incident that meddling was far from ok; but that still didn't ease her curiosity. "Yeah I agree" she grumbled. "But still, the whole point of this plan was to fix what happened two months ago; they're both miserable, we all know it."

From behind the two, Jean looked to the ground shamefully and lamely kicked a small pebble on the ground. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't feel bad for what she did to Scott and Rogue, and although others were slowly forgiving her, whenever it was mentioned it still made her tense.

Sensing her withdrawal, Logan nudged her softly and smiled at her, tapping her chin and kissing her for head. "It's alright" he murmured in a soft whisper. He didn't understand how he forgave her. He was sure had it been anyone else who had pulled such a stunt on his beloved Rogue, he would have castrated their organs with his claws, but there was something about the love he had for the red headed woman that made him forget about all his anger and all his worries and fall into the real kind and gentle person that she was.

"As miserable as they are" the professor began, now stopping his wheelchair at the end of the sidewalk, which lead to the cobblestone driveway. "It's still up to them to decide what's best for them, and fix whatever wrongs that may have occurred and make it right." He paused and looked out beyond the driveway and onto the road, littered with evergreen trees at it's sides. "Rogue and Scott are both adults, and although I understand your motive for helping them Ororo, I just don't think it's any of our business; I'm sure they'll be able to make it on their own."

Storm sighed a long sigh and nodded in agreement, following the professor's trail of vision out beyond the driveway. It really was a beautiful autumn day.

"Um, I'm sorry to brake up the happy moment here" John suddenly began, clasping his hands over his torso and rubbing them for warmth. "But can someone please explain to me why we're out here?" he said, shivering a bit in the growing cold. "I'm freezing my nips off and I left my lighter inside."

"Shove it kid" Logan said, placing his arm around Jean and enjoying the beauty of the evening as well.

John gave him a hard look. "Hey don't tell me to shove it, wolf face." He fired back. "The professor said he wanted us out here to talk to us about something, why couldn't we do it _inside_?"

"I didn't want to talk to you about anything John, just to watch" Charles answered, still distracted by nature's beauty.

Pyro's face fell flat and that's when Jubilee decided to pop her gum; and rather loudly at that. "Watch?" she asked, smacking the gum back into her mouth. "Is this one of those like, freaky, weird, nature moments where we're supposed to be like, one with mother Earth and all?"

Storm shot her a soft glare. "Watch it" she warned and Jubilee shrugged.

"Sorry" she said. "I mean I appreciate the gesture of "family bonding" and all but college isn't easy and I've got like, a pending ten paged paper with my name on it."

"Sucks saving it for the last minute huh?" Bobby taunted and Jubilee glared.

"Shut up Popsicle"

He glared at the mockery of his nickname. "You shut up"

"All of you shut up" Logan countered, stopping the argument before it came. He swore sometimes kids could be so infuriating.

Bobby and Jubilee suddenly zipped their lips, not daring to challenge Logan's wrath and once he was sure they were quite, he turned to address the professor, failing to notice them sticking their tongues out at one another.

"All aggravation aside, seriously chuck" the Wolverine began, shoving his free hand in his jacket pocket. "It isn't like you to drag us out here to stare at the leaves and listen to the wind. What are we doing?"

"Don't worry about it Logan" Xavier said, his eyes still fixated on the road. "Just watch"

"Just watch for what?" John asked, kicking a rock by his foot. "Is this some sort of surprise attack thing planned by you and Magneto? Cause' if it is I really gotta run back inside to get my—"

"Hey look!" Kitty interrupted. She pointed sharply to a car suddenly turning onto the road that lead to the mansion. Stopping their complaints and arguments, the group turned to see the blue sports car and their faces brightened. "Isn't that Scott's car?"

And as the car got closer, they found that indeed it was. A lightning blue Mercedes, with the infamous 'X' engraved on all mansion property, tattooed lightly on the hood of the car.

Everyone who lived in the mansion could recognize that car from a mile away and there was no doubt, that their beloved Scott had returned.

As he pulled up to the long driveway and opened the gates at the end, Storm turned to the professor with a taunting smirk.

The professor knew she was going to chastise him about it and therefore he refused to look at her, but he smiled knowingly when he felt her staring at him.

"Minding our own business huh?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest again and towering over the elderly man. "I thought you trusted them to make the right decision."

The professor smiled deeply and unlocked his wheelchair, signaling for her to push him onto the cobble stone and he turned to look back at her. "I do; with every fiber in my being I trust them make the right decision; and I'm sure they did."

"But?" she asked, placing her hands on the hand guides behind the wheelchair and gently guiding him on the uneven ground.

"But I had to make sure they were safe and they arrived here without troubles" he excused and Storm huffed again, causing the professor to chuckle. "Besides, it helped a lot that Scott phoned about half an hour ago and said he was on his way."

Now Storm playfully rolled her eyes. What a sneaky little man he was; she made a mental note to get back at him later.

But in the meantime there was no time for that; excitement filled the air between X-men and X-men Jr.s of Scott's return to the mansion and the hopeful return of the woman he went after.

And as they all stood waiting hopefully on the side of the driveway, watching Scott slowly pull up to the garage and open it up, each and every one of them got a perfect view of the passengers seat, with Rogue inside.

Jubilee was the first to let out a shrill of excitement, bouncing up and down joyously and hopping on into the garage followed by Kitty soon after.

The rest of the team had their own sense of relief, pride, happiness and joy, spread on their faces as they saw the young girl in the front seat of the car and let go that breath of relief that she was home.

Scott slowly pulled forward and reversed the car into its reserved spot (next to his red and black sports cars), careful not to hit Jubilee and Kitty who were about to seize the hood. He shut off the engine and opened the door, getting out with a tired but happy look on his face followed by Rogue who exited a little more slowly.

She was tired to say the least. She's been tired in the past two months, dealing with her mutation and missing the love of her life; and even more so in the past two days with Scott showing up to whisk her home and having to hurriedly pack and leave yet another long and lengthy note, to her mother this time, explaining why she had to go.

The night at the hotel was a fretted and anxious one, the flight was a long one and the change of address hassle was a grueling one but all in all, she was more than happy to be back where she belonged.

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!! ROGUEY-WOGEY YOU'RE HOME!!" Jubilee shrilled, making sure to do ultra damage to Logan's sensitive ears and pouncing on her long time friend, embracing her in the biggest bear hug she's ever given in her entire life.

Rogue stiffened under the pressure, but smiled nonetheless, happy to see her friend again.

"Oh my God, Rogue I can't believe it's you" Kitty said. She was already in tears from the joy of having her friend home and she too became a part of the hug, her and Jubilee about to snap poor Rogue in half.

The other's watched with smiles as the best friends got reacquainted, each one of the three submitting to overjoyed moment, and shedding tears just like Kitty.

"I can't believe it's you" Kitty said. "I can't believe you're home. I've missed you so much!"

Rogue didn't talk but instead she continued to embrace her friends, tears of happiness shedding down her own cheeks as she was reunited with the warmth she's longed for.

"Hey, hey, hey you two" came the intermission of Ororo's voice, playfully scolding the teenage girls. "Don't break her now, the rest of us still haven't gotten our hugs" she added with a smile, breaking through the two girls who eased off Marie and embracing her in a hug of her own.

Again Rogue cried more tears of joy.

She loved Ororo's hugs. They were so warm and loving, so caring and meaningful; just like a mother's hug if not more inviting because it was from mother Earth herself.

"Oh honey" Ororo began, rubbing Rogue's back in reassurance. "We've all missed you so much."

Rogue nodded as more tears shed and Ororo pulled out of the embrace, cupping the young girl's hair and cheeks lovingly. "Look at you" she adored and Rogue wiped away her tears. "Look how much you've changed." She said. "You can't stay away this long honey. You've got two more freckles on that button nose of yours, you're hair has grown, dear God, you've shed more weight, I'm gonna have to fatten you up." She said and Rogue chuckled. "And you're eyes" she added, slowing down to a pause when she noticed the color change in her once brown orbs. "Honey your eyes are—"

"Whoa" Jubilee suddenly intervened. She stood next to the weather Goddess to get a good look at her friends color change and marveled at the drastic color. "Killer contacts" she complimented with a smile, still inspecting Rogue's eyes. "Where'd you get um'"

Rogue modestly smiled, a little uncomfortable with everyone intrigued by her body at the moment, and she gently removed Ororo's hands from her cheeks and gave the woman a gentle smile.

"I've missed you guys so much" she finally said, speaking for the first time and choosing to ignore the question.

They seemed to forget about it just as easily as she dismissed it and she therefore received hugs from each and everyone of them, even Jean and Logan, the professor being the last in line to give his greetings to the young lady.

Rogue paused when he wheeled up to her, and he as well, both of them seeming to have the same readable expressions on their faces and in their minds.

Happiness.

But it wasn't the same happiness that the others felt for having Rogue return; it was a deeper sense of happiness, a greater appreciation for the moment in front of them, the both of them meaning more than anything to each other. For Rogue, Xavier was the father figure she never had; the guy who could help her through anything, the guy who gave her opportunities, the guy who helped her be in control again.

And for Xavier, Rogue was truly a blessing onto the mansion. She was bright, caring, sweet, charming, funny, and in turn she was like the daughter he never had (Or one of them at least). He and her shared so much in common—contrary to what the naked eye might have seen— and above all, she was his life savor. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be here today.

Having once calmed her tears, Rogue felt her eyes watering once again as she knelt over and embraced the professor in a hug, he as well wrapping his arms around her and letting a small tear of his own fall from his eyes.

"Oh professor" she sobbed as she cried into the embrace. She was happy to be back where she belonged and in the comfort of the man she knew would reassure her that everything was going to be ok; so happy it choked her up to tears and she didn't know what else to say.

He stroked her now long hair gently and tightened the hug as hard as his elderly body could, smiling against her shoulder. "It's alright Marie" he comforted. He could sense already the worry and difficulty dealing with her powers that bombarded her mind and he knew that more than anything, she was grateful to be back in a place where she knew she could pick up the pieces again. "I'm glad that you're finally home."

She smiled as he said this and pulled out of the embrace, wiping her eyes once again and chuckling lightly at her emotional reaction. It was funny how the slightest touches of emotion made her break out in tears nowadays.

"It's good to be home" she finally said. She surveyed her family and she could not be any happier as she looked around and finally felt like she belonged. No more doubt, no more worry and no more anxiety about her parents, about her mutation, about what society thought of her, about if she was making the right decision or anything.

This was it. This was it right here; she had made the right decision. This was her family.

Kitty, Jubilee, John, Bobby, Warren, Peter, Hank, Ororo, Logan, Jean, the professor and most importantly the love of her life, Scott was all she needed in her life; and she was so happy to finally be home.

XXXXXXX

"So I was thinking right, it been, oober-long since we last talked about anything and I mean like, we have so much to catch up on." Jubilee rambled.

By now Scott was guiding Rogue back to their room so she could lie down and nap after the long flight and Logan was following in tow, helping him carry the bags, followed by Ororo who wrapped an arm around her shoulder the whole way and Jubilee and Kitty who chatted nonstop behind.

"So like, after Storm makes her special dinner thing—which I'm sure will be totally killer by the way— we can totally go to the mall and by you some new threads to celebrate you know? Turns out my dad just got promoted at his job and his paycheck is amazing, so I can definitely treat my best friend to a like, welcome home present."

Smiling unsurely at Jubilee, Rogue was happy that her friend was making thoughtful offers for them to catch up on lost times, but she was just so tired; she didn't think the mall was such a smart idea now.

"Can't you just make a card like any other normal person?" Logan butted in grouchily. He heaved one of Rogue's bags over his shoulder.

Jubilee gave him a flat look. "Uh, as if. Cards are for old fogies."

Kitty suddenly turned to her a little stunned at the recent information. "They are?" she asked unsurely, biting her lip anxiously.

Jubilee gave her a pressing stare. "Uh duh, didn't you get the memo?"

Chuckling nervously, Kitty stopped following them in the hall, thinking pensively for a moment before excusing herself. "Uhhhh, pardon me for a moment" she said, still biting her lip. "I have to go uh…….see Peter about something." And with that she took off and phased through the walls, dashing to her own room.

Jubilee shook her head. "So what do ya say Rogue? While Kitty Cat burns the hallmark, you up for a night out on the town?"

This sounded even more tiring. Rogue was sure she was going to pass out any minute if she didn't get a nap soon; she didn't think she could handle the mall more or less a night out on the town.

She looked at Jubilee unsurely. Just how was she supposed to let her friend down when she was clearly so excited. Luckily for her, Scott intervened.

"Jubilee I thought you said you had a paper to write?" he asked, pulling Rogue's rollaway luggage behind him. "Ten pages I believe it was?"

Jubilee turned towards Cyclops and folded her arms over her chest. "I do" she stated huffily, fumbling for the right excuse to spill to him. "I just………….you know Mr. Summers you're not my professor anymore. I'm in _college_ now, I can choose to do these things if I please or not."

"You're also on an Xavier's scholarship and a McCoy grant" he fired back causing the young girl to pout. "And while I may not be your teacher, I am the owner of the red corvette I know you're going to ask to borrow so, which is it?" he asked. "Paper or denial for the keys?"

She grunted. "Do I have a choice?"

"Do you really wanna' ask?"

Jubilee full out flared this time, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting hard as they finally reached the room. "You know what, fine" she grunted, glaring daggers at Scott. "I know what you're trying to do Mr. Summers, you just want Rogue all to yourself." She added and Scott grinned.

"What a selfish little man I am" he said and Jubilee rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, there's still _tomorrow_ so don't gloat in your victory just yet. One day or the other, Rogue will be mine."

Scott shook his head and the yellow-clad girl turned to Marie. "Rain check chica? You're boyfriend is being a di—"

"Jubilee" Storm intervened and she grinned.

Rogue however smiled. "Sure thing." She said. "We'll plan tomorrow"

"Awesome" she said embracing Rogue in another quick hug. "Don't run away again while I'm gone ok?" she teased and Rogue nodded. "See ya at dinner!" and with that she retreated back down the hall.

Meanwhile Scott fumbled with the door, while Jubilee left, Ororo opening it for him while he juggled Rogue's bags. "Home sweet home" Cyclops finally said, Rogue slowly stepping inside the room and feeling the rush of warmth greet her.

He had left everything just as she remembered; the pictures, the tv, the furniture, the socks. Everything was exactly the same; including the photo she left on the nightstand for him; the one of her and Scott taking a stroll in the park. She walked over to pick it up in her hands as Scott and Logan set her bags on the floor.

Logan looked over at Rogue staring at the picture then turned to Scott, who seemed to be grateful, but less than amused with the Wolverine.

He guessed Scott was still mad about the other day but then again who could blame him? Logan had said some pretty crude things and left a nice little gash in his arm with him claws. Plus he still wasn't aware that the whole thing was a set up so Logan didn't expect any less of the man.

"So you gonna' tip me or what?" Logan finally asked, after the pause of silence and Scott flinched, seeming to have the urge to want to sock Logan square in the face again.

"Hey, hey, hey, easy bub." Logan said, sensing the tension. "We can talk this over with a cold one and a smoke, no need for violence now."

"Don't you try and—"

"Um, Scott" Ororo stepped in. She cleared her throat and made her entry, stepping between the two men before they went at it again. Giggling nervously as she knew Scott wouldn't have the best reaction to this sort of news, Storm placed her hand on his chest and looked into his ruby quarts.

"Um, before you two go head to head again," she began, clearing her throat again. "There's something I have to confess to you."

Sensing the nerves in her tone, Scott's body posture shifted from tense to anticipation, waiting for the probable unpleasing news he was about to hear. "What did you do Storm?" he asked. He knew that voice; that was the voice of someone who was up to something, having their plans spoiled and forced to explain.

"Nothing, nothing" she said, clearing her throat again. Boy was it dusty in there. "It's just…….I just thought that you should know that……..well……..what I said was a hoax."

He looked at her suspiciously. "A hoax?" he asked. "What did you tell me?" He hadn't spoken to Storm since he saw her last before he left; what did she tell him that was untrue.

"Well about Logan and Jean breaking up and Logan leaving" she admitted quietly. Storm waited for Scott's reaction but he remained speechless.

She sighed. "Me and Logan planned the whole thing out. I told you he and Jean broke up and he was leaving cause I knew it would get you riled up and he took it from there and said what he said to force you to go to Mississippi. None of anything was true, we just said it so you could get Rogue back."

Confused, Scott glanced between Logan and Ororo who both shot him faulty smiles, then back to Rogue who was still looking at the picture. So they devised a plan and lied to him to make him fight Logan and get him to Mississippi? "So that means you and Jean…….and you and Rogue…..and I—" Scott sighed, rubbing his temples. He was in no mood to figure this out; he had too much on his mind.

"I can't address this right now" he confessed. "I'm way to tired."

Storm frowned. "Your mad at us, aren't you?" she asked and Scott shook the forming headache away.

"Actually…….no" he admitted and he gave her a reassuring look. He couldn't believe that he wasn't though. Normally when people tricked him into doing something he was pretty livid. But he realized, rather quickly as a matter of fact, that despite the cruelty of the plan, the results had turned out for the better; he'd gotten Rogue back. And he couldn't be mad at anyone who helped him do that.

Storm's face brightened. "I'm just really tired so I guess we'll talk about his later huh?" he confessed.

She smiled now. "Of course, of course!" Storm beamed, embracing him in a hug. "Oh, I love you Scott, and I'm so proud of you."

"Uh-huh" Today had definitely been a long day and there was nothing Cyclops needed more right now than a nap.

"Don't forget, dinner in an hour ok" she said excitedly, grabbing Logan by the arm and beginning to pull him out the room. "C'mon Logan."

"But I didn't get my tip"

And with that they were out the door.

Scott sighed, shaking his head before turning to Rogue. She was still looking at the picture as she now sat on the bed; her fingers gently tracing the outlines of their bodies.

Scott softly smiled and began to approach her, removing his jacket and sitting next to her on the bed. Just as he was about to wrap his arm around her however, she spoke suddenly, her words catching him off guard.

"I've changed so much" she said suddenly, not taking her eyes off the picture.

Scott stared at her strangely before proceeding to place his hands where they belonged and nestling his head on her shoulder. "What are you talking about?" he kissed her neck. "You're still the same Rogue I remember." He kissed her shoulder. "Sweet," another kiss. "Kind," another kiss. "Beautiful," another kiss. "Loving," and another kiss.

Rogue smiled against his touch and leaned into him. "You don't think I'm well……you know…..different?"

"Not uh" he said and he kissed her again. Rogue giggled. It's been awhile since she last giggled, a solid 9 weeks to be exact; but Scott's cheesiness was returning and she couldn't help it. "You're still gorgeous"

"Even if my mutation is different?" she asked.

Scott stopped now to look at her. So that's where this was coming from. She was anxious about the change in her mutation.

He couldn't blame her really. Her eyes had shifted colors, she had trouble controlling the rush of powers, something might have triggered her hair to grow at tremendous speeds and she wasn't as happy as she used to be.

But that didn't change how he felt about her. He knew that somewhere inside, the real Rogue was still there.

"Even if your mutation is different; you're still the same Rogue I fell in love with."

Smiling Rogue set down the picture and turned to look at him, leaning her head back and looking into his eyes. "Marie" she corrected, and his look of befuddlement began his rebuttal.

"Marie?" he asked. "But I thought you hated that—"

"I could never hate it when the people I love call me by my real name" she explained. "Marie"

Scott smiled, placing a kiss on her lips. "I love you Marie"

"I love you too" she said. She could feel the tears brimming her eyes once more and again she tried her best to keep them in. She's just been so happy since her decision to come home, and all the slightest touches of emotion were making her weep.

Scott noticed her tears and caught both droplets that slipped from her eyes before they fell off her cheeks. "You're happy huh?" he chuckled and she joined him soon after, further wiping her eyes. "You keep crying" He stated. "Tears of joy, I'm assuming?"

"Definitely tears of joy" she reassured. "I'm just so happy to be home and back with you Scott. I've missed you all, especially you; I didn't think I'd ever see you guys again."

He kissed her again. "I'm glad you're home too Marie. I love you so much."

She sighed a happy sigh. "Me too" and she kissed him again. "I don't think this moment could get any better"

He gave her a playful challenging stare. "Wanna bet?" he asked.

Marie sat up from leaning on him and returned his stare with a confused one. Make this moment better? What could he possibly do to make this moment better? She already had what she had wanted most; being back home and being with the man she loved; what more could a girl ask for?

"Scott" she began. "I'm happy. I mean really, really, happy. I've got what I've been longing for, for months and really there's nothing more I could ask for that would make me happie—"

"Marry me"

Cut off by his proposal, she was stunned speechless by his words and she gasped silently, trying to process what just occurred. Did he just ask her to marry him?

She was thinking he was going to give her a memorable poem or picture, or one of his kind words of love to make her feel better than she already was but he topped it all out and went on above the rest; he asked her to marry him.

He wanted her to be his wife, to spend the rest of her life with him, till death do them part, for richer or for poorer and all that came with it; he wanted her to be Mrs. Summers.

Still at a lost for words, Rogue fumbled and tried to find the right thing to say but Scott cut her off again.

"Marie, you've been the best thing that's ever happened to me; really, the _best_ thing that's ever happened to me. Better than this school, better than my career, better than all the things I've ever gotten in my life, you truly are the best. And from the time that incident with Jean and Logan occurred, and I thought I'd never be happy again, then you came along and put a whole different spin on my life; a spin that was for the better."

"Oh Scott" the tears were coming again.

"I remember that time when the accident at the lake happened, and I thought you were gone, I was so distraught that I'd never get to see you again and that I never had the chance to say goodbye."

Tears spilled down her cheeks now.

"And recently when you left back for Mississippi, I was devastated that we were torn apart, and I don't ever want that to happen again. I don't even want to come close to _thinking_ about a scenario like that happening again."

She shook her head in understanding; she didn't either.

"I love you with all my heart, and I want to love you forever, and I want to be with you forever and I don't ever want you to leave me again and I don't want to leave you."

"Me either" she chocked through the tears.

"So with that in mind," Scott reached into his jacket lying on the bed, and pulled out a tiny blue box. Marie gasped when she saw it, the box making the moment all the more real and when he opened it to reveal the sparkling white gold diamond engagement ring, she thought she was going to pass out from joy. "Marie D'Acanto, will you do me the honor, and be my wife?"

Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, she couldn't believe what was happening. This was it; this was _it_. This was the happiest moment in her entire life; the moment her knight in shining armor came to sweep her off her feet, to take her away and marry her and truly make her the happiest girl on the entire planet.

She didn't know how to react, she didn't know what to do, or what to say, and the only response she could produce was endless tears of joy spilling down her porcelain checks.

"_Say yes dummy!"_ her mind screamed at her and she choked a chuckle underneath her happy sobs.

"Yes" she finally replied, smiling happily at her new fiancé. "I would love to marry you Scott"

Scott's humongous grin gave her all the conformation she needed that he was now the happiest man in the world as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger.

Marie tried to contain herself as she breathed in and out and wiped her tears away, taking a chance to look at the diamond ring on her finger; it was absolutely beautiful.

"Oh God, I love it Scott, it's beautiful."

"You're beautiful" he said, planting another kiss on her lips.

She wiped more tears from her eyes. "I love you, so, so much."

"I love you too; Mrs. Summers"

He touched the new engagement ring on her finger and smiled and she smiled in return, the both of them sealing their engagement with a kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And that is it my lovelies. The final addition to the story. It's been a great run while it lasted and I'm glad I've had loyal fans, reader and reviewers such as you guys. Thanks a lot for your support and I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much.

So for the last time, REVIEW!!


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